This Side of the Grave
by Knoni
Summary: Two bullets to the chest. Murdered. Brought back to life only to be the target of a madman. Caught in the cross hairs of a serial killer and to top it all off- I see dead people. Once upon a time I was the head medic at Konoha hospital now I'm unemployed, living with my two best friends and up to my eyeballs in Akatsuki men. *Present day fic. Mystery/thriller/romance/supernatural
1. Chapter 1

**I See Dead People... No Really I Do.**

"So what's your name?" I asked, glancing at the dead woman's reflection in my rearview. She didn't look up at me, which wasn't surprising, the departed weren't the chattiest bunch.

Keeping an eye on the asshole in the big SUV in front of me, I snuck several glances at the woman as I drove. Her hair was a light brown or perhaps a dirty blond, it was hard to tell in the dark. Street lights illuminated the interior of my little car enough that I could tell she was in her late twenties, early thirties but not much more than that. There were dark spots on her white night-gown and I hedged a guess that it was blood, although I wasn't a hundred percent certain. However it was a safe bet, considering usually the only ghosts who purposely sought me out were victims of some kind. Not always necessarily murder but sadly most of the time it was. Even worse, the victims were usually killed by a loved one. Those cases always bothered me the most. Heck everything about the dead bothered me. For three months I'd been living in a horror flick, except this film showed no signs of coming to an end and the people starring in it had actually died.

My cell phone, thankfully, was sitting in the passenger seat. I grabbed it and called Shikamaru. Nara Shikamaru was the head detective of the Konoha Police Department or the KPD for short.

"What?" Came a tired voice over the phone. He sounded annoyed, surely it wasn't because I was calling him at three in the morning. On a Saturday.

"Hey Shika, whats shaken?" I asked, beaming my good humor through the phone at him. I found it incredible entertaining to irritate the normally laid back detective. He should know by now I didn't call without a reason. Its not as if I still held a grudge or anything from when he'd arrested me the day after my release from the hospital on bullshit charges. When all he really wanted to know was how I knew the teenage girl in the room next to mine had been murdered by her mother. The jerk could've just asked. Okay I may still be slightly angry about that.

Shikamaru was silent for so long I thought maybe he'd hung up on me. Then I heard a long suffering sigh and smiled to myself. "Don't call me Shika. And you better have a damn good reason for calling at such an unholy hour."

"Do I ever waste your time?"

He didn't respond.

I frowned and added with a sniff, "that's just hurtful Shika."

He growled and I heard him get out of bed. There was a sharp clap as the phone hit the floor, a muffled curse then the phone hit the floor again. I would've said it was done purposely if not for the colorful words beating against my eardrum.

"Okay what do you got?"

I glanced in my rearview and still couldn't make out any definitive details.

"Have there been any recent reports on a missing woman? Late twenties, early thirties with long dark blond or maybe light brown hair?"

"Is that all you got?" Shikamaru was a man of few words and his natural disinterest in everything managed to rub a lot of people the wrong way but he was good at his job. I could tell something I'd said had piqued his interest and he was all business.

My frown deepened, "its dark and I'm driving."

"The ghost is in your car?"

"Yes."

He paused, "wait. Where are you?"

"Heading home from the hospital."

"I thought you were taking a break from the hospital?"

"I am. I went back to clean out my office so someone else can use it."

"At three in the morning?" He asked incredulously.

I shrugged but since he couldn't see it I said, "I couldn't sleep. Besides I'm dodging certain people to avoid piteous glances and empty apologies that aren't warranted."

Wisely he didn't comment and put the conversation back on task. "So did you pick up the ghost back at the hospital?"

"I don't think so. She appeared sometime after I passed the old bridge just off of Pine and 5th."

"Can you give me anymore detail on the woman?"

I checked the rearview and cursed. "She's gone. Did she sound even remotely familiar?"

"Perhaps but I'll have to double check. Contact me if she shows up again. I'll send a car out there in the morning and have someone scan the area." He yawned, then made a sound that made me think he was stretching. "Now if it's alright with you I'm gonna grab a few more hours of shut eye before I get up for work. On a Saturday. My only day off this week."

"Your welcome." I said sweetly, hearing the exhaustion and mild irritation in his voice.

"Good night Sakura." He hung up, without waiting for a response.

My rearview no longer reflected the dead woman but I could still see the stack of boxes, crammed against the window in the right passenger seat. Gut instinct told me this was the right move but I still felt like I was losing a part of myself.

My gaze shifted back to the road and without meaning to my fingers caressed the bandage beneath my shirt. I could still hear the ring of gun fire in my ears, the screaming voices of people as they fled in terror. I'd been incredible lucky, considering I'd been shot in the chest at almost point blank range. My close brush with death had changed me, in ways that were beyond belief or even science. When I started seeing ghosts I thought I was dead but then Naruto, my roommate and best friend, explained that I was just bat shit crazy and not dead. He punctuated his point by planting a kiss on my lips. Needless to say I shrieked and kneed him in the groin, which was difficult while laying on a hospital bed. The movement had hurt like a bitch but it was worth it to watch Naruto slide to the floor and writhe in pain.

The memory made me grin but I sobered, remembering my stint in the hospital. Someone had tried to kill me and it wasn't their first attempt either. I'd been shot in broad day light on a busy street, returning from a fast food joint just outside the hospital for lunch. Either my attacker had a real set of brass ones or said attacker was an idiot. I was betting on the former since the police had no leads and haven't had any information on the case for over two months. Point blank range, point blank range and still no one saw my attacker, not even me. Thus why I wanted to avoid my colleagues. Why do people apologies for things that aren't their fault? It's not like they pulled the trigger. Then someone always brought up how frightened I must be to know that my attacker was still out there. People tended to say stupid shit when they don't know what else to say.

Just then my phone rang and I jump, swallowing my heart and forcing it back down in my chest, I answered without checking the caller ID.

"Where are you?" His words were clipped, his tone hard. If I didn't know any better I'd say Sasuke actually cared about me.

_Should've checked the caller ID._

"Damn it. Can't a girl sneak out with her boyfriend in peace?" I said with an exaggerated sigh. "We were just getting to the good part."

"You don't have a boyfriend."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know everything."

Ah-ha. "But you don't know where I am right now."

He paused. My victory was short lived as he suddenly shocked me. "Your two blocks away from the condo."

"Wha-!" I pulled the phone away, looked at it accusingly, then said, "are you tracking my phone?!"

"Your car actually."

"Like that's any better." I snapped. "That is such an invasion of privacy. And illegal."

"Do you at least have your gun?"

"Ummmm. I think its in the laundry basket."

"Damn it Sakura. Your just as bad as the dobe."

"Hey!" I was offended. "I told you I don't like guns." Having been shot recently I really didn't want one but the boys were pretty persistent. Even making me give up three whole weekends for gun classes. My weekends for crying out loud! Then they bought me a Browning hi power and actually expected me to carry it. I'm all for self-protection but I would be one of those people who accidentally shoots herself in the foot or something worse. I was doing the world a favor by not carrying it. It also went against my nature as a healer.

"Are you listening?!"

Shit. Had he been talking this whole time?

"Sorry. What?"

"Just get home." He hung up before I could protest for being ordered around. So freak'n pushy.

I set the phone down in the cup holder. It irked me to no end that the duck-butt had a tracker somewhere on my car but at the same time I found myself smiling a little. Being cared for was a nice feeling, even if my boys did it in some of the most invasive ways possible. But considering Sasuke's personality, it was like being accepted by a panther or some other equally large dangerous predator. Better to be in his favor than on his hit list. Because the people on that list tended to mysteriously disappear.

* * *

Back at the condo, I spotted Sasuke's black Charger but not the broody man himself. After I was released from the hospital, Naruto and Sasuke forced me to move in with them. Well okay after Sasuke got me a fancy-pants lawyer and sprung me from jail for those bullshit charges. Oh ya I definitely still held a grudge.

Naruto had literally dragged me to the condo after my release, he was so demanding. But then again I expected that type of behavior from Naruto. What I didn't expect was that Sasuke had already had all my things moved and my lease paid off before I could even attempt to protest. Talk about control issues.

I switched the car off, glad that the condos were well lit. Summer was truly in full swing, even this late at night the air was still hot and weighed heavily on my skin.

Opening the back door, I debated on leaving the boxes in the back seat until day light. The Ever Green Condo's ranked security above all else. With plenty of camera's, their own private police force and top-notch alarm systems. Sasuke and Naruto have lived in this place just over a year with no problems. Unless you count the 5 a.m. wake up call of several lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, and weed whackers. The place was clean-cut and beautiful but was it really necessary to start so damn early.

"Your exposed."

My heart stopped then began to beat so fast I thought I'd faint. I spun around and held a clipboard up like a shield. A clipboard? What was I gonna do with that?

Sasuke's mouth twitched into a slight smirk. He took pleasure in scaring the ever-loving-shit out of me. I glared up at him and smacked his chest with the clipboard. "What the hell Uchiha?"

He glanced down at the offending clipboard then regarded me with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Hn."

I tossed the useless object back into the box behind me. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." I growled, crossing my arms over my chest.

His smirk vanished and was replaced with that impenetrable expression I'd grown to hate and envy. "Where were you?"

Turning around I grabbed a box, then held it out to him. He didn't move. Not surprising. "To collect my stuff from my office."

"Late at night?"

"Technically its early morning." I said, after a quick glance at my phone. Nearly four in the morning. Shit.

"Sakura." He said impatiently.

"I couldn't sleep." I shoved the box at him. He took it and I loaded a second one on top of it. "Besides I knew you'd stepped out, onto the balcony. You didn't even notice I left. Someone's slacking." I said that last bit with a sing-song voice.

He stiffened. Sasuke prided himself on not letting anything slip his notice. It bugged him that I'd left without him realizing it.

Hiding a smirk I turned back towards the car and picked up the last two boxes. I sucked in a breath as something heavy in the top box rolled, the force smashing the box into my chest. The bullet wounds were mostly puckered-pink scar tissue but under the skin the muscle damage had been far worse and it still hurt like a bitch.

"Leave it." Sasuke said, his tone brooked no argument and it was obvious he'd heard me gasp. Normally I'd argue but I wasn't stupid. Sasuke was someone I wisely picked and chose my arguments with. Besides being a medic and understanding the possibility of re-opening or irritating a wound trumped my pride. I was so not going back to the hospital anytime soon. There were a lot of ghosts there, some I recognized as former patients and it only reiterated the fact, that I hadn't been able to save them. Konaha hospital was once my second home, I took pride in what I did but now it was hard to even get through the door.

With a defeated sigh I sat the boxes back in the seat and locked the door. I trailed behind Sasuke feeling much like a lost puppy and wishing Naruto was home.

I unlocked the door of the condo, then turned the dead bolt back into place once we were both inside.

"Naruto's gonna kill me isn't he?" I asked, dropping myself unceremoniously onto the couch. The blond was overly protective and would probable shatter my eardrums with profanities when he found out I'd left without an escort. Kami I hated my life right now.

"Hn."

"When does he get back anyway?"

"Tomorrow night." He sat next to me on the couch and began tugging at my shirt.

"Hey!" I smacked the offending hand.

"I'm making sure you didn't re-open the wound." He reached for me again and I scooted away until my butt hit the arm of the couch.

"How terrifyingly motherly of you."

His face dead panned. "Don't be childish Sakura."

"Hey I'm the medic not you." I pulled down the collar of my shirt enough to show the clean white bandages. "See no damage."

He nodded, seeming satisfied. Getting to his feet, I watched him head towards his room. A few minutes later he came back with a small black duffle bag and a black backpack.

Frowning I asked the obvious. "Where are you going?"

"A job."

I sighed, knowing I wouldn't get more than that. Every time he and Naruto left, those were the only two words I got. A job. I had my suspicions but voicing them didn't seem wise when I knew what kind of hardware was packed in the duffle.

"How long this time?"

"A few days." He said as he passed.

I sat up and watched as he set the bags down on the kitchen island.

"Who gets to baby sit me this time?" I asked, anger creeping into my voice.

Our eyes met from over the counter. He understood how I felt about being watched. It made me feel weak. I didn't like being treated like some porcelain doll. But someone had made an attempt on my life. Twice.

"Deidara."

I nodded, dropping his gaze and flopping onto my belly. Sasuke and Naruto couldn't always be around to watch my back, so friends often came to stay with me when they weren't around. Although friends might be a bit of a stretch. Deidara was our neighbor and my friend but he was also a member of the Akatsuki. A gang that seemed to have bases all over Fire Country and a few others. However they were very organized as far as gangs go. Not that I would know much about that. I tended not to pay attention to the meetings the local members sometimes held here. They were all nice enough but a few of them gave me the willies.

So because Deidara was my friend some of the others had begun to warm up to me and sometimes even came with Deidara to watch out for me. If Shikamaru ever found out I had friends in the Akatsuki he'd have a cow.

Exhaustion was beginning to gnaw at me but I fought to keep my eyes open. I tried to sit up but a hand rested on my shoulder and gently pushed me back down.

"Sleep Sakura."

The amount of relief I felt at that rare comforting gesture was almost laughable. I wasn't alone and I even hated the near suffocation of having so many people waste their time to protect me but... with the warmth of Sasuke's hand spreading over my body like a blanket it was hard to deny how frightened I still was.

* * *

I woke up sometime later with the smell of bacon invading my nose and making me salivate like a rabid dog.

"Bacon is murder." I called out.

"Sweet. Sweet. Murder." Deidara responded with a laugh.

Smiling I sat up and ran a hand through my short pink hair. A quick look towards the kitchen revealed that Deidara had brought along his usual companion Sasori. I smiled at the redhead and he nodded in silent greeting. Deidara's back was to us as he cooked, his head bobbing to a beat that I couldn't hear.

With an encouraging growl from my stomach I got to my feet, straightened the white tank and jeans I'd slept in, and followed the heavenly scent into the kitchen.

"What do you think your doing, un?" Deidara asked, waving an egg coated spatula towards the fridge as I opened it.

I paused, the icy chill of the fridge crept over my skin, raising goose-flesh. "Getting some juice."

He tsked. "Go sit." He pointed at the extra chair next to Sasori.

"But I want juice-"

"I've got it Sakura. You don't need that artificially flavored, sugar filled goop Naruto insists on buying." He waved towards the seat again and I obliged. "Just leave it to the chef."

I sat down and propped my elbow on the island to rest my chin in my hand. "Chef? I thought you were a model."

He twirled back around to face the stove. And I do mean twirled. "I'm capable of many things, because I'm awesome like that. Besides cooking allows me to express a completely different form of art. I will create a masterpiece that will set off explosions in your mouth and bring tears of joy to your eyes."

"With an omelet?" Sasori asked, completely unconvinced by the blonds dramatics.

"Yes with an omelet. You'll beg for more after one bite and give me _anything_ I want just to get another taste." He said that last part with a heated glance over his shoulder. Sasori met his gaze and I watched his mouth twitch into a knowing smirk.

"We're still talking about food right?" I asked, wondering if I should flee the room with the sudden rising heat that had nothing to do with the actual temperature. Deidara and Sasori had been dating for three years and often forgot about the other people in the room when they wanted nothing more than to rip each other's clothes off. Sasori, who was possibly the most blasé and indifferent person I'd ever met, only became animated around Deidara. The kind of love they shared was fierce and often caused a pang of jealousy to spread through my chest. Because what they had was rare.

Deidara licked his lips as if they were suddenly dry and managed to rip his gaze off his partner long enough to spare me a glance. "No."

Well at least he was honest about it.

"But breakfast is ready, ya."

I looked over at the clock on the microwave, just above his head. "It's passed lunch."

He set a plate of bacon, hash browns and an omelet in front of me. He was right, it was a work of art. I took a heaping mouthful of the omelet and tried not to moan out loud. "Screw lunch," I said, fighting down the urge to inhale my food.

Deidara smiled. "Good. Making sure that you two are well fed is always a first priority before Hidan comes over. Both of you tend to get nasty when you haven't eaten."

The redhead didn't deny the accusation and continued to eat his food in a fashion that I found almost bird like.

I gave the blond my best death stare. He grinned. Probably because my cheeks resembled a chipmunks at the moment. I swallowed and took a sip of the freshly squeezed orange juice. "Why the hell is he coming over?"

"Oh dear." He grabbed the platter of bacon from beside the stove then shoveled about ten more pieces onto my plate. "Clearly you haven't eaten enough."

I glowered at him.

Sasori answered instead. "Having a meeting here."

"In the middle of the day?" I didn't ask 'why here' because it was already obvious. Deidara would stay here with me and because I hadn't been invited to any of the other meeting places. Which was fine. The less I knew the better. Still I hated feeling like a burden.

"Some of us had the day off." Deidara said with an absent shrug.

"He means skipped work." Sasori corrected.

Deidara's mouth thinned. "I didn't skip. I called and explained I didn't feel up to it today."

Guilt suddenly ate away at my stomach. _Had he called out for me?_ I thought.

Noticing my distressed expression, because I have the worst poker face, he added, "I was gonna call out anyway Sakura."

I met his gaze and he smiled cheerfully, it was hard not to smile back.

"He calls out a lot anyway." Sasori leaned back from his empty plate.

_Holy crap how did he finish that mountain of breakfast food so fast? _

"I'm surprised anyone will hire you." Sasori jabbed.

"Well it should be pretty damn obvious." He leaned forward on the counter, getting intimately close to the redhead. "Because I'm fucking hot." He whispered in a husky tone that even had my heart fluttering.

Sasori didn't move but their was something in his gaze, a molten heat that held promise and need. The two men continued to watch each other and I was sure any minute now Deidara would crawl onto the counter top.

Quietly as I could, I got off the chair, grabbed a fist full of bacon and headed for my room and a shower. The two apparently sex starved males didn't call after me and I prayed they'd at least use the guest room and not the couch.

In the shower I only had a few minutes of peace before a ghost joined me. I bit back a scream and leaned heavily against the slick wall as I fought for air. The dead woman from early this morning was standing in my shower. Shampoo ran down my face and into my eyes. Cursing I quickly rinsed my hair then stood under the spray, observing the ghost as she stood like some goulish statue.

In the light I could now tell she had soft brown hair with a few natural shades of blond. She was pretty, if you ignored all of the dirt and blood. Dark shadows stretched beneath her dulled brown eyes, making them appear deep set and hollowed. They weren't focused on me but passed me, as if she was seeing horrors I could not. Standing this close I spotted other things about her that disturbed me. There was a ring of bruises around her neck and immediately I knew she'd been strangled. If the body was found there would be petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes.

But for some reason that didn't quite hold the same shock value as the wound on the junction between her neck and shoulder. Just above her left collar bone was a bite wound. With the type of damage that can only be inflicted by a human mouth. Humans don't have the scissor like teeth of dogs nor do we have the strength to shred the flesh cleanly. Someone had bitten her neck, hard enough to rip it and cause it to bleed. There was a perfect ring of teeth marks. Again if the authorities found the body soon enough the forensic team could probably make a mold. In the past, police have caught murders and rapists by using dental records.

"Hi," I said.

She didn't respond. Not surprising.

"My name is Haruno Sakura."

Again nothing. Some ghost whisperer I was.

"I can help you... but only if I know your name." The water was beginning to get cold but I didn't want to risk her disappearing because I'd gotten out of the shower. Ghosts were funny like that. If you looked away for even a second they might disappear and they don't always come back.

Suddenly her brown eyes flew wide and her mouth opened in ear piercing scream that only I could hear.

"Don't touch me!" She shrieked, collapsing to the floor with her arms flung over her head to protect her. I crouched in front of her, tried to grab her arms and passed through her, I tried to righten myself but only managed to fall back on my ass. From were I sat I watched as she relived her death, unable to ease her pain.

"Ple-e-e-ease," she wailed, her cheeks red and slick with tears. "Please let me go."

I couldn't actually see the killer but I knew the moment he grabbed her neck, lifted her up and started choking her. She fought back, flailing her hands, grabbing at his face and arms. Hopefully she'd get his DNA stuck in her fingernails as she scratched. Time seemed to slow down as I witnessed her death. It felt like forever but in reality it only took about sixty seconds and then it was over, her eyes rolled back and she stopped struggling but I knew he hadn't let go of her neck. Contrary to what the movies would have you believe, strangulation takes longer than a mere minute. Our brain shuts us down, making us pass out first. The killer would have to keep hold for at least another two minutes to make certain the woman was dead.

I stared wide eyed as she slumped to the ground. For some reason some ghosts relive the horror of their deaths in front of me, while others can actually talk to me and tell me what happened. I wasn't sure how that side of the grave actually worked and why some ghosts got trapped in a loop of their deaths and others did not.

When the woman faded away I huddled my knees to my chest and started to cry.

* * *

Once I'd had enough of the icy water and couldn't cry anymore, I exited the shower and went in search of clothes and a hug from Deidara. He was my rock when Naruto and Sasuke weren't around, but apparently I'd been in the shower much longer than I thought. In the kitchen stood four more members of the Akatsuki.

"Jeez bitch. Were you having a good time with the shower head?"

I frowned at Hidan and for the first time wondered where my gun was. Oh right. Laundry basket. I decided to ignore the silver-haired idiot. If I didn't rise to his bait that would only piss him off more than any sharp retort.

"You're a dick." Deidara said, crossing the room and pulling me into a hug and spinning our backs towards the on looking men. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Why?" I asked feeling slightly self-conscious. I hadn't really looked at myself in the mirror.

"You look a little pale." He raised my chin and met my eyes. "Did you see something?"

Deidara was one of the very few who knew I could see ghosts. It had taken some convincing for Naruto and Sasuke but Deidara had accepted it right off the bat.

I hugged him to me and breathed in his scent, not carrying what the others thought.

"Later." I whispered back.

He nodded and gave me a quick, reassuring squeeze back. His brow was knitted in concern as he walked away and I found that most of the men in the kitchen were watching me watch Deidara. Feeling slightly abashed I quickly sat on the couch and turned on the tv.

Isn't it funny how you can have a million channels and there's nothing but crap on. I finally settled on a local channel and realized it was a press conference with the KPD police Chief. I turned up the volume and leaned forward.

"They're probably trying to save their asses."

I cocked my head and had to look way up as Kisame towered over me. He held out a pint of dark chocolate gelato and a spoon. I smiled and took them. He sat next to me and I had to brace myself so as not to fall over into his lap. Not that he would've minded. Kisame had a thing for me. It was cute and I found him absolutely adorable but only in a big brotherly way, which I think he accepted. Kisame was big and I'm not talking fat. Being around six foot five made him an extremely tall man and he had the broad shoulders and thick muscly arms to complete the frightening ensemble. Although the blue hair made him somewhat approachable I thought. It wasn't a harsh color like red or black.

Impatiently I opened the cold container and could've died happily right then as I took a big bite of cold chocolatey goodness. "You're a saint."

He smiled showing teeth and I was suddenly reminded of the woman's neck. I stabbed the spoon into the gelato and set it on the glass coffee table. Sasuke would probably kill me if he saw it there but at that moment I didn't care.

"So what did you mean by saving their asses?" I gestured towards the tv. The Chief of police was standing behind a podium with several mics and cameras shoved so close to his face you could make out the small individual beads of sweat on his brow.

Kisame took the remote and turned up the volume.

"We will not rest until the boys are safe and sound." The Chief said.

"They're talking about the two boys who went missing a few weeks ago." Kisame remarked watching the conference.

"What about the boy that was taken yesterday?" One of the reporters shouted. The Chief had to be under a lot of pressure. He looked about ready to pass out.

"I promise the boys will be found. The families have the full support of the entire department." The Chief, Kawahara explained with a look of grim determination. But there was something about his expression that had me leaning forward. Was it possible he was lying? The chances of finding a child alive after the first twenty-four hours are slim to none.

"See what I mean." Kisame shook his head in anger, then got up from the couch. Time for the meeting apparently.

I watched and listened as the reporters threw wave after wave of questions, concerns and curve balls which were probably meant to spread insecurity. Fear sells. Kawahara remained on point and squashed some of the rumors floating around. Like that the police already found the bodies and weren't telling the parents.

Kawahara ran the back of his hand across his brow. Was he sweating more? Had someone asked the right question? I'd seen pictures of the boys earlier that week but their names escaped me. If they came from some of the wealthier families there would be a lot more pressure on him to find the missing boys. Sad but true.

I pulled out my phone and tapped the weather app. It was only eighty degrees and there was a breeze from an incoming storm. Much cooler than yesterdays eighty-nine with enough humidity to nearly drown in. Then again if I was dressed in a heavy suit I might be sweating balls to.

I sat my phone on the table, started to lean back into the couch then decided I wanted the gelato. I reached for it and froze when a small cool hand touched my forearm. I jumped back and bit my tongue. Holy hell if ghosts didn't stop just poofing into existence I was gonna die of a heart attack before I hit thirty.

The blood drained from my face as I looked up and found two boys, no older than nine watching me. They were naked and soaked, with dead leaves and twigs tangled in their hair. My heart stopped. I recognized them. I glanced back up at the tv and as if on cue two small pictures of the boys in the right corner of the screen appeared with their names displayed underneath.

If I could cry again I would. Because the two boys Kawahara had promised to find alive were dead and standing in my living room.

"Hello Shuu, hello Yui." I said quietly, hoping they could hear over the tv and that the men in the kitchen couldn't hear over the tv.

They looked at each other, then back at me.

"Hi." Shuu, the boy with short black hair and startling hazel eyes said.

Relief washed through me. They weren't like the woman in my shower who had been stuck in her moment of death. If they could talk that means I could help find their killer. Well call Shikamaru and let him find the killer.

I took a quick look over my shoulder. Deidara and Hidan were in a heated discussion while Kakuzu and Sasori appeared to be working something out on a calculator. Kisame was listening intently to whatever Itachi was saying. The older Uchiha glanced at me but went back to whatever it was they were doing. Good. No one was paying attention.

Leaning forward I whispered, "Shuu can you tell me what happened to you?" I'd asked Shuu because Yui was looking around uncomfortably and obviously scared.

Shuu turned Yui around so I could see his back and I sucked in a breath and felt nausea roll over me. Taking a deep breath I examined the back of Yui's head. He'd been hit with something hard, something heavy and since I'd seen this wound once before when I worked at the hospital, I knew he'd been struck with a hammer. Shuu turned around to and his skull mirrored Yui's. Blood matted their hair and streaked their backs.

Fury consumed me and I found myself hoping the man would die painfully and not spend his life in prison. Then again petafiles didn't do so well in the big house. The other inmates frowned upon adults touching and harming children. The thought was almost comforting but unfortunately petafiles did not get life sentences. Something about rehabilitations and rights. Bullshit. It was crap.

The boys turned back around and I wanted more than anything to hold them but they were incorporeal and though I'd feel the arctic chill of death I'd pass right through them.

"Can you tell me who did this to you?" My jaw was clenched so tightly the words came out more of a hiss than a whisper.

Again the boys looked at each other but then they looked at the tv. Shuu's small hand came up and he pointed to the screen.

"Chief Kawahara!" I whispered fiercely.

Shuu shook his head, then walked over to the tv. The picture flicked and cracked, becoming staticy. The boy's finger hovered over a face on the screen.

His hand moved away and I saw the man he'd been pointing to. It wasn't Chief Kawahara but it might as well have been. Just behind the Chief stood his brother and according to Shuu their killer.

"Son of a-"

"Please." Shuu spoke softly.

I shut up and listened.

"Save the other boy." He whimpered, then as if I'd blinked they both disappeared.

"Shit. Shit." I growled, swiping my phone off the table. I dialed Shikamaru, he didn't answer.

"Damn it all Nara Shikamaru!" I tried again and this time he picked up on the third ring.

"What?" He shouted and I could hear voices and shouts from his side of the phone.

"Are you at the press conference?" My voice rose a few octaves. I wanted him to hear me.

"Yes. Why?" He sounded curious and frustrated. I'd hate to be stuck around all those people to.

"He's lying!"

"Who's frying? What?"

I growled, "not frying! Lying! Chief Kawahara is lying."

"What do you mean he's lying? Are you on something?"

I ran a hand down my face. I had no proof that the Chief was lying but my gut instinct and years of watching patients faces as they lied to me, made me feel confident in my assessment. I didn't know the Chief personally but Shikamaru said he was a strong family man. How the hell would he not notice his brother was so fucked in the head?

Chief Kawahara was stepping down from the podium. One of the camera's zoomed in and I watched him grab his brothers arm and lead him away. Oh yeah. He knew. It also explained his profuse sweating when questioned specifically about the children and their abductor.

"Listen to me Nara Shikamaru that man is protecting a killer. His brother abducted those boys and killed them."

He was quiet and I listened to the hustle and bustle around him as my words sunk in. Finally he sighed, ''are you sure about this?"

I thought about it then worded my next sentence carefully. "I'm not a hundred percent sure that the Chief knows but I am damn sure that his brother is a killer and Shikamaru-"

"Yeah."

"-there's another boy missing."

"Fuck." He growled, dragging the word out in exasperation. "Do you have anything else? Like were they're buried or some kind of physical proof I wouldn't need a warrant to get to?"

"No." Then I thought about it. "Wait. I don't think they're necessarily buried. I think they're in a body of water. Also they were both probably killed with a hammer."

"Shit. Not sure what I can do with that but I'll think of something. Thanks Sakura."

The line went dead and I set my phone back down, then went very still. Noticing that the room had gone quiet, other than the tv. Itachi stood just to my left, on the opposite end of the couch, facing me. I darted my gaze behind me and found all of the members were watching me, their faces showing confusion, interest and holy shit expressions.

My heart thundered against my ribs almost painfully as I met Itachi's hard gaze. He regarded me curiously, his expression impenetrable. I couldn't hold his gaze without squirming so I just stared at him, trying not to focus on any one attribute, which was harder then it sounds. It always struck me just how handsome Itachi was- okay yeah, not the best time to be checking the man out but I doubted anyone could honestly blame me. He was tall but not giant like his blue haired companion. The black t-shirt he wore accentuated his broad shoulders and hugged the well carved body hidden beneath the stressed fabric. Though honestly it was the long, run-your-fingers-through black hair and piercing black orbs that did it for me. Even if I was sure he might burn me to ash any moment. I imagined this is what a sheep feels like when cornered by a wolf.

"Itachi," I said, proud that my voice didn't betray just how much he was currently freaking me out. Both Uchiha men should be force to carry a concealed weapons permit just for their eyes. Swallowing, I picked a point on his forehead rather than meeting his eyes. He didn't speak and continued to stare at me. A few decades later he finally walked back to the others. I heard the deep tones of his voice as he spoke softly to someone in the kitchen. I didn't dare turn around to find out who. But I could still feel the heat of his gaze on my back from the other side of the room.

Catching Uchiha Itachi's attention was definitely not a good thing. Though I had a fondness for his younger brother, the older Uchiha scared the hell me.

"Damn it." I ran a hand down my face and collapsed into the couch. Now I'd attracted unwanted attention and I forgot to tell Shika about the woman.

_Damn it what else could possible go wrong... _

In the span of five seconds, two things went horribly wrong. One, the back door, leading to our little balcony opened. Two, every male in the kitchen drew their guns and aimed at the intruder.

_Had to ask a silly question..._

* * *

**Authors note: alright so I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter. Please keep in mind that I typed this via my phone and there are bound to be mistakes and the phone is my only tool because I don't have a computer. That said I'm already working on the second chapter. I'm super excited about this story. All reviews are welcome, even PM's. Thanks for reading. **

**P.S. For the fans that already read this chapter. I didn't change it. Just did a little repair work so some sentences flow better. Almost done with chapter 2.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chasing Ghost's**

Time appeared to be slowing down but I knew it was my brain kicking into overdrive, fueled by the adrenaline rocketing through my veins. I turned towards the sliding glass door, my periphery taking stock of the Akatsuki as they pulled their guns. The sound of several hammers being cocked sent a shiver of fear straight down my spine.

_Why didn't I have my gun? More importantly we're on the second floor, how did the intruder get in? _

My gaze settled on said intruder as he stepped into the house, his gaze on the five or six guns aimed at his chest. Again another spike of adrenaline, but this time it was accompanied by the shock of recognition.

Time sprang back and without thinking I sprinted the ten or so feet over to the potential homicide vic. Shikamaru would not take kindly to more paperwork. Sasuke would frown at the not so decorative blood spatter and Naruto might seek revenge on the Akatsuki for killing a friend.

_Kakashi you idiot! _

"Wait!" I shouted.

"Sakura!" Deidara growled in warning.

I moved up beside Kakashi. "He's a friend."

"Friends sneak in through the back door unannounced?" Kisame interjected. His face hard and aim steady. The freakishly large caliber revolver in his hand looked like a small canon.

"If you only knew." I sighed, glaring up at the silver-haired blunder. His hands were up at chest level, palm out. With his face the picture of ease, you wouldn't think there was a half-dozen men moments away from riddling his chest full of holes. If I didn't know Kakashi better, I'd say the man had a death wish. However standing this close to him I could see the tightening around his eyes and the way his body leaned towards me, a swift movement away from shielding me. I knew Kakashi had his own gun tucked away in a shoulder rig beneath his shirt. It always amazed me how well he could read a situation. If he'd drawn his sidearm there wouldn't be enough pieces of him left to make a positive identification without DNA. Especially since one appeared to be a palm sized canon and another looked like a mini Uzi.

"Yo." He said by way of greeting but his gaze remained on the men in the kitchen. Couldn't blame him. He'd resemble Swiss cheese if the guys decided to fire.

I put my body in front of his, pulling free of the arm that tried to keep me behind him.

"Ease down guys. He's a pain in the ass but Kakashi's cool."

My heart dropped back down in my chest as the men in the kitchen holstered their weapons. I was surprised they listened to me but secretly pleased that they trusted my word. Especially since Kakashi was wearing his mask. Who wore a mask in broad daylight, then sneaks into a house without any malicious motive behind it?

"Bad timing?" Kakashi asked.

"Awful." I peeked behind him at the balcony. "Um. How did you do that?"

He smiled beneath the mask that covered the bottom half of his face. The thick scar running over his left eye disappeared into the dark fabric and I wondered if the scar was worse beneath the mask.

"Your not gonna tell me are you?"

Again he merely smiled.

While I internally debated whether or not the silver-haired P.I. was secretly spider-man or a ninja, Deidara walked over to us.

"Sorry to interrupt but what the hell, ya?" He asked, close enough I felt the line of his chest against my arm and the gun tucked down the front of his jeans. Deidara had met the somewhat eccentric Private Investigator before and didn't much care for the man.

"I have business with Sakura." Kakashi gave a disarming smile or at least I thought he did. It was sometimes hard to tell beneath the mask.

"It's customary to use a door. Sneaking in through the backdoor is a good way to get shot, ya."

"So its _customary_ to have a kitchen full of armed gangsters? Or is the Akatsuki more organized like the Mafia?"

Ah so he wasn't as calm as he let on. The fact that he recognized the men for who they were had me flabbergasted. There were all sorts of rumors circulating about the identities of the members and the police had a long list of whom they suspected but so far no one pointed fingers. Had Kakashi lost his ever-loving mind?!

Deidara's face closed down and I felt his hand go for his gun. I grabbed his wrist and hissed, "no."

A quick look towards the kitchen had me going pale. Were they going to kill him?

"Sakura," Deidara said carefully, "let me go."

"No," I protested. Shit was I out of my mind? "Kakashi's a P.I., not a cop. He isn't going to say anything." I shifted my frantic gaze to said man and hissed, "are you Kakashi?"

Like a light switch, the silver-haired man's demeanor flipped. He smiled but the expression was as empty as a dolls and just as creepy. "Say what? The only people I saw today was Sakura and a client."

Deidara blinked, unsure how to take this. He cast a glance behind him and I noticed it was Itachi who gave him the okay with the barest of nods. It had me wondering were Itachi stood in the chain of command.

_No. Bad Sakura. Its dangerous to even wonder about it._

A sigh of relief slipped out of me as the blond took a step back but I noted his hand still lingered close to the hidden weapon.

"Okay. Everyone's okay." I babbled, pushing Kakashi back towards the balcony. "You back outside and you," I motioned for Deidara to join the other members, "go back to the kitchen."

The blond didn't look happy but he eventually did what I asked, shockingly without protest. He did manage to give Kakashi a very threatening once over before his chin jerked towards me. The P.I. dipped his head in an understanding nod. I rolled my eyes at the display and decided later I'd have to see if there was a book on deciphering silent guy code. I recognized several looks, grunts and hn's, but hadn't managed to figure out some of the nods and cock waving. Men were so weird.

Once I managed to push Kakashi back out onto the balcony, I slid the door shut with a reassuring smile towards Deidara then whirled on the man I highly suspected was spider-man. Though the thought of him in spandex almost brought a giggle to my lips. Almost.

"To reiterate what my blond friend said in there- what the hell?!" I jerked my head towards the men inside, careful not to meet anyones gaze and noting how interested they seemed in our private conversation. I glared at them and they went back to what they'd been doing. "Even if it had only been Sasuke and Naruto that still would've been a dumb move."

He shrugged, dismissing the argument altogether as he produced a manila folder from thin air. Maybe he really was a ninja.

"What's this?" I asked as he handed the file to me.

"The question isn't so much what it is but what it isn't."

"Spare me the riddles." I grumbled, opening up the very thin folder. Inside the contents were sparse, with only a few pieces of paper that were hand written, not typed and a few photos clipped together. Since I recognized myself in the picture on the top I pulled those out first and began flipping through them. The photos were candid. I'd had no clue I was being photographed. The knowledge sent a chill skittering down my spine.

"Did you take these?" I asked, hopeful. My eyes never leaving the pictures. There was one of me leaning against the balcony of the condo, talking on the phone. And another of me shoveling a donut into my mouth in a hurry to get to somewhere.

"Just the top two." He said, tapping the one with my mouthful and the other at the condo.

I glowered up at him, "why?"

"To prove a point. Your way to exposed for a woman with a big, shiny target on her back."

"Your concern is overwhelming." I said sarcastically. Were all men secretly mother hens?

"Sakura," he pulled one of the photos from the bottom and held it up for me to see, "this is what I wanted to show you."

I plucked the photo from him and scrutinized it. The color began to drain from my face as I realized what I was holding. The photograph was grainy, probably a still shot from a security camera but I still knew what was happening. The moment I'd been shot, the moment I'd nearly died had been captured on film. There was a look of surprise on my face as I felt the impact of the bullets hitting my chest. The throngs of people were thicker than I recall. Then I noticed what the picture was lacking.

"Where's the shooter?" I whispered. I'd been shot at almost point-blank range but no one in the crowd stood out. Over the years as a doctor and having two very secretive and scary friends I'd gotten good at reading body language and facial expressions. The picture was lacking killer intent. There was possibly ten or eleven people in that photograph close enough to have done the dirty deed but none of them appeared out of the ordinary. Granted I wasn't expecting the shooter to hold up a sign saying, 'look at me, look at me' but still there should've been something. The faces in the photo weren't all that clear but there was no killer intent or anyone purposely hiding their face. The knowledge that I'd been shot and couldn't even see the shooter in a photo was frightening.

"My point exactly."

The seriousness of his tone drew my attention back up to him. The look in his eyes scared me.

"Sakura," he laid a comforting hand on my shoulder, "this guy was a pro. He doesn't stand out in a crowd and despite not using a silencer he managed to shoot you and walk by you without being seen. He's the most dangerous type of killer. The kind that blends in with his surroundings. The one that no one takes notice of or doesn't think in a million years could be a threat."

I blinked up at him. Unsure what to say. On the inside I was seconds away from a total emotional melt down but I knew that wouldn't help.

Kakashi squeezed my shoulders, "Sakura I want you to be afraid but I also want you to be prepared. Your attacker could be closer than you think." He said with a glance towards the kitchen.

A spike of anger pushed down the fear. "Are you insinuating that one of them is the killer?" I asked incredulously.

"No. I'm just saying watch your back. I'm not saying its anyone inside but the Akatsuki..." He paused then said, "the Akatsuki have done some bad things Sakura. The police suspect they are behind a lot of disappearances, not just the dirty laundry list of other felony's they've committed."

The Akatsuki were dangerous and I was well aware of what they were capable of. However I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel safe around them. Foolish as it was. But they also didn't have to waste their time protecting me for Deidara's sake. I didn't think the Akatsuki were in the business of favors, so I had to believe we were friends or companions or something on some level. Wishful thinking, I know.

"Have you shown these to Sasuke or Naruto?"

He sighed at the change of subject but let it go. "No but I will when they get back."

I nodded, grimacing at the thought of being chewed out by my two roommates. Naruto will probably lock me up in cement volt when he sees the picture of me being shot.

"Fantastic." I groaned.

Kakashi smiled and took the folder from my hands but didn't object to me stealing the photo of me scarfing down the donut. Like Naruto needed anymore incriminating photos of my gluttony for fatty foods. The guy had to find a better hobby.

"This isn't the only reason I came to see you."

Suspicious I asked, "what?"

He chuckled, "I've got a case-"

"And you need me to solve it for you?" I interrupted, crossing my arms over my chest. Kakashi and I aren't strangers by any means. When I was sixteen I decided to learn martial arts, Kakashi owned his own dojo. That was nine years ago, even back then I helped him on cases occasionally. He still owned the dojo but he focused more on being a P.I. now. It pays better. And with my ability to see and sometimes speak to the departed it worked in his favor when the jobs dealt with a death or a missing person. I'm no cop but I do enjoy working on a case with him. Kakashi paid good money to, if we closed a case, which was good since I was technically jobless at the moment.

He winked, "I need that voodoo that you do."

I frowned, "I see the dead. I can't bring them back."

He chuckled, "no but my client is willing to pay big money if you speak to her recently departed husband."

"People don't always leave behind ghosts. In fact I think they're something of a rarity, otherwise I'd be up to my eyeballs in dead people."

"But you once told me that violent or traumatic deaths seemed to be the major reason ghosts remain."

"Yes," I prompted.

"Well my clients daughter has also been missing for two months."

Shit that blows. First the husband then the daughter. A look up at the P.I. told me he was holding back details purposely. Dangling it in front of me, hoping I'd bite.

"Kakashi," I said exasperated. Having my skin peeled back would be less painful. "I'm not a physic. I. See. Dead. People. Big difference."

He chuckled, "I'm not suggesting you are. However I do suspect her daughter is dead."

My brow puckered, "you do? How old was this girl."

Kakashi laid a hand on my shoulder and maneuvered me towards the door. "Lets discuss the details in the car. Miss Takada, my client, won't be pleased if we're late."

"Yes because being on time has always been your strong suit."

His chuckle was deep and soft, vibrating against my back as he reached around me to slide open the door. I made my way towards the coffee table, noticing the gelato had disappeared and pocketed my phone.

"I'm heading out Deidara."

"What?" He moved around the thicket of Akastuki members and the kitchen island. Stepping dangerously within my personal space he growled, "you can't leave. Its to dangerous."

I gave him my trade mark death stare, the one that could make grown men cry. Okay not all men, namely anyone with the last name Uchiha. I was somewhat dismayed that the blond didn't cry but at least he took a step back.

"Your concern is noted but I'm not going out alone." I jerked a thumb behind me. "Kakashi's got a case he needs help with."

Deidara's gaze hardened as he looked over my head at the P.I. He shifted, moving his shirt up and over the butt of the gun in his waistband. "Then I'm coming with, un."

Kakashi met his challenge with a smile and flashed the firearm that was concealed inside the black button down shirt. The shoulder rig was leather and fit snuggly against the black t-shirt underneath the button down. "Mines bigger."

_Oh for the love of gravy._ Suddenly I felt exhausted.

"So can we leave now. That is if you guys are done flashing your cocks." I sighed, side stepping Deidara, I gave them both my back as I went to grab my shoes.

"I'll meet you in the parking lot."

"Kakashi just wait-" I glanced back at him and found he'd disappeared. I saw a flash of black on the balcony and then he was gone. Ninja. Definitely a ninja.

In my room I decided to change into a black thick-strapped tank top that was high enough to cover the bandages over my chest. It was blazing hot outside so I pulled on a pair of crisp white shorts that cupped my butt in all the right ways. Hey a girls gotta work with what little assets she has when her cleavage has been compared to the size of tea cups. Yeah that date ended in the worst way possible. Mostly because I'd left my favorite braw behind but I got over it with the lacy new one I bought the next day.

Heading back towards the kitchen I briefly thought about retrieving the Browning from the laundry basket but dismissed the idea completely. If I was attacked and or killed while accompanied by a P.I., who may or may not have been a ninja, and a member of the Akatsuki who was nicknamed the demolish-in expert, then that man deserved a damn medal.

Back in the living room I was surprised to find most of the members had left. Noticing my perplexed look Deidara said, "meetings over.''

I frowned, "then why is there still three of you here?" My eyes kept wanting to wander over towards the Uchiha but I fought the urge and settled my gaze on Kisame.

He shrugged, "Kisame wanted to come and so did Itachi."

I could tell by the way the blonds gaze flicked towards the stoic man that he to, didn't quite understand the Uchiha's motives.

I shook my head, "I don't wanna give this woman a heart attack."

"Kisame," the Uchiha said, his voice bland but still managed to hold command. "You will stay behind and help Sasori."

The blue haired man didn't look pleased but didn't argue. A curious expression crossed his face as he glanced from Itachi to me. Then he smiled, gave me a two-fingered salute and left.

Scraping up some courage I gave the Uchiha the same look I gave to uncooperative patients. "I'm sorry Itachi but really- even taking Deidara is one to many. You can't come."

One smooth brow arched up and I felt my resolve begin to wavered. Oh yeah, I must be suicidal. Taking a breath I crossed my arms and forced myself to meet that impenetrable gaze. An emotion flickered behind those dark eyes then he turned and headed for the door. When it closed behind him I stood there perplexed. Had I just won? No. There's no way.

"He's heading for Kakashis car, isn't he?" I asked, Deidara.

"Yup."

I groaned, the blond laughed and placed an arm around me. "Points to you for having the balls to tell someone like an Uchiha what to do, un. But can I offer up a word of advise?"

With a gentle pull from the blond, we headed for the door.

"What?" I asked, shoulders slumping. I locked up and we made our way down stairs.

"Don't tell Itachi what to do, ya. He won't listen anyway and he's got a real talent for making people's lives miserable without expending much energy."

"Gre-e-eat. Perfect. Now I have a favor to ask Dei kun."

"What's that, un?" He asked with a playful smirk.

"Help me jerk my foot out of my mouth."

He laughed, "to late love."

I groaned and ducked my head as we made our way over to Kakashi's beat up, black Bronco. It was a bit surprising that Itachi had opted for the backseat but he probably realized Kakashi needed me in the front to go over the case.

Unconsciously I went rigid as I sat in the front passenger seat and closed the door. All my brain could focus on was- Itachi's behind me, Itachi's behind me. Funny how courage evaded me with the man sitting so close.

"Sakura?"

I jumped, "what?"

Kakashis brow dipped in concern. "Are you alright?"

No. But I didn't say it. I would not admit out loud just how much the Uchiha unsettled me. I'd get over it. I use to be this way around Sasuke and Sasori but eventually I got over it. However they seemed like kittens by comparison. Again not something I'd admit out loud. Sasuke and Sasori were frightening in a very different ways.

"Yeah," I finally said. Kakashi turned his attention to the road, I moved so I could face him. "Alright give me the details."

He gestured for the glove box. I opened it and pulled out a file folder with three coffee ring stains. The edges were frayed and the papers within had been dog-eared and high-lighted to death.

The rushing sound of wind and the deep hum of the motor sounded far away as I focused on the pages in front of me. There was very little here. Nothing that jumped out anyway and screamed the girl was dead. Mai had a debit card but there had been zero activity on it for exactly two months and the last transaction had been at a mom and pop coffee house. Her boyfriend sounded like real charmer, having already done a stent in prison by the age of seventeen for minor drug possession. However other than being a real loser, the boyfriend had no red flags. He wasn't violent, just made a lot of poor choices. The case, if there really was a case here, was only two months old. Mai, Mrs. Takada's daughter was definitely missing but I wasn't sure what led Kakashi to believe she was dead. However I'd learned a long time ago that the mans instincts were impeccable. The police did not share his opinion, they believed she'd run off with her boyfriend. Since the eighteen year old had run away twice before, it cast doubt on the situation of whether or not she was missing in the sense that foul play had been involved. And what did this have to do with her recently departed father?

So I asked, "why the father? And how did he die?"

"Home invasion gone horribly wrong. The daughter was very close to her father and Takada believes her husbands spirit now protects the house."

"What makes hers suspect that?"

"Objects moved, cold spots, you know. Normal spook stuff."

I snuck a quick glance at Itachi in the rearview. His gaze was focused out the window, looking bored and disinterested but somehow I didn't buy it. There was a sharpness about him, despite the disinterest. If he was anything like his brother, I doubted many things escaped his notice.

I shrugged, returning my attention back to the file. Did it really matter if one more person knew? More over would he believe it? Most people didn't and just went with the general theory that I was crazy but super lucky because I'd helped solve a few cases. Perhaps my luck would hold and he'd label me crazy and lose interest. Maybe.

"Do you have a photo?" I asked, absently, making an ick face as I peeled apart two pages, stuck together with something that smelled and looked suspiciously like soy sauce.

"Should be under all the paper work."

Flipping everything aside, soy sauce and all, I found a lone photo paper clipped to the top of the file. A small gasp escaped me. I pulled the picture free, file forgotten entirely as I stared at a familiar woman smiling and hugging a puppy close to her chest. The last time I saw her, an expression of terror and pain had transformed her features. This was the woman who relived her death in my shower. All of the dirt, blood and despair had aged her but this was definitely the same woman.

"Sakura?"

Knowing her name and age only made it worse. Her mother would be crushed. What would I say? Kakashi was bringing me along, hoping I'd glean more information about Mai through her deceased fathers ghost. The mother had lost so much. How was I suppose to tell her that her daughter was dead?

"SAKURA!"

"What?" I blinked, expelling the breath I'd been holding. My gaze wouldn't focus anymore as tears filled my vision.

_ Oh god... how long had she- Mai suffered? Two months. She'd been missing for two months! _

Nausea, hot and oppressing rolled over me like a tidal wave. I turned the vents towards me and cranked the AC.

"She's dead isn't she?" Kakashi asked softly.

I closed the file and pulled my knees into my chest. "Yes."

Deidara leaned between the front seats, his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry Sakura chan."

"When did she die?" Kakashi asked, calmly.

"Give her a damn minute, ya."

"We don't have a minute."

"Why the fuck not, un?"

"Because," the Bronco slowed to a stop, "we're here."

I pulled my gaze up, wiping the back of my hand across my eyes, quickly collecting myself. The drive had taken only thirty minutes or so but it wasn't enough time for me to processes all the information.

_Now or never Sakura... _

Taking a breath to steady myself I glanced out the window. The Takada's home wasn't very big but it was beautiful with lots of trees and flowers. The house itself appeared old but I knew very little about such things so I wasn't sure.

Kakashi switched off the engine and shifted so he could face me. "I'm sorry Sakura but do you know when?"

"No," I took a breath, "she was stuck in a loop of her own death."

"Meaning she had no idea you were really there?"

I shrugged, "I don't know if she was aware of me or not, but other than her screams and terror filled words, she said nothing that could help us."

"Well shit." He ran a hand through his silver hair. "That doesn't help us. Do you think the father really protects the house?"

Again I shrugged, "won't know until we go inside. But first," I pulled out my phone, "I've gotta call Nara."

He didn't argue, instead he opened his door and stepped out. "Go ahead. We're already late. Another few minutes won't hurt."

"Thanks."

I called Shika, he answered on the third ring.

"What?" He asked, gruffly, sounding every bit as tired as I felt.

"Shika," I paused took a breath, listened to the sound of people in the back ground. "The woman came back?"

"The ghost?"

I resisted the urge to say something sarcastic. Didn't have the energy anyway. "Yeah and I've got a name."

"What is it?"

"Mai. Takada Mai."

There was the sound of typing and quiet mutters.

"Fuck," he said with feeling.

"What? What?" I held my breath.

"Well remember how I said the description sounded familiar?"

"Yes," I hesitated, my guts twisting into uneasy knots.

"Akashi Hara is the name of the other woman I thought you'd described and when you put the pictures of the two women side by side they... they could easily be sisters."

_Another woman... _

"How long has Akashi been missing?"

More typing. "Over five months."

"How old?"

"Nineteen."

My heart leapt into my throat. Two women with similar appearances and ages. Both went missing within months of each other. It could just be a coincidence but it didn't feel like it. It takes three to be considered a serial killer but...

"Your thinking the same thing I am, huh?" He asked, his voice low and serious.

"I think so but I hope we're wrong."

"Agreed. Do you know where Mai's body is?"

"No and nothing useful either. However Kakashi and I are about to speak with the mother."

"Well the name is a start. Guess I'll be stopping by the Takada's residence as well. But without a body there's no serious proof the girls dead." He sighed and the sound was that of a man who'd told one to many parents their children were never coming home. "By the way I think you're right about the Chiefs brother."

"But you can't prove it." I responded with a sigh of my own.

"Not yet but I will. Thanks for the info."

"No prob."

He grunted a goodbye, then hung up. Suddenly I realized just how hot the interior of the car had become. Wiping my brow, I exited the vehicle, slid my phone into my back pocket and joined the boys as they spoke in hushed tones in front of the Bronco. Funny how quiet they got as I approached.

"All good?" Kakashi asked, giving me a smile beneath the mask.

"Aren't you gonna take that thing off?" I gestured at the dark fabric covering half of his face.

The smile crinkled his eyes. "No. But don't be concerned, Mrs. Takada has already spoken with me face to face."

"Alright," I cracked my knuckles, "let's get this over with."

The interior of the house wasn't what I'd expected. There was a mish-mosh of different religion's scattered around the house. Most of it was relatively new, probably only purchased in the last few weeks. The house was perfumed with sage and a few other scents that were confusing the heck out of my nose. Mrs. Takada had obviously sought out different religions as a form of comfort. Which was something I found a lot of people did after a tragic event. It didn't really make sense to me but if Mrs. Takada found peace, who was I to judge? My only concern was that there were so many different types. Crosses lined the halls as I walked towards Mai's room. At her door I took note of the two gold bells, hanging from red silk cord and tied to the door knob. Bells served many purposes in various religions and I wondered if Mrs. Takada knew they were also used to cleanse a dwelling of spirits or rather ghosts, even demons.

With a held breath I turned the knob and opened the door. The room was in typical teenage disarray with clothes tossed over the unmade bed and a dresser covered in multiple different makeups. A small mirror sat in the middle of the chest high dresser. Nothing had been moved or touched since the girls disappearance.

Next to the bed was a bedside table with what could only be described as a shrine. I pulled the photo from the file and realized it had to be at least two or three years old, which made sense. The shrine was made up of two dog bowls, a purple braided leash and several toys that were once upon a time very loved by a canine. In the middle of the shrine was another photo, this one closer to her current age. She was smiling again as an over zealous Akita licked her face. The dog was a beast, with thick white, fluffy fur and piercing eyes that seemed more wolfish than dog. He'd been her best friend and her protector. I knew it was a male dog because wrapped around the base of the photo was a collar with a tag. Hero, the dogs name had been Hero.

_Death had not been kind to this family._ The thought made me sad because it made me think of my own family or lack there of. There had been a few times growing up that I'd longed for death but was to much of a coward to take my own life. It wasn't until I met Naruto and Sasuke that I realized it wasn't cowardice that kept me from suicide all those years ago but courage and the strength to endure until I was able to leave my demons behind.

"Anything?" Kakashi asked from behind.

I shook my head. "No ghosts," I clarified.

"Well it was worth a shot." He placed a hand on my shoulder and tore my attention away from the photo to meet his gaze. "Let's go back to the living room."

"Sure." I closed the door behind us and the bells chimed softly.

Back in the living room I found Deidara standing nervously by the window. He seemed very uncomfortable in the strange woman's house or it could be the ouija board and the hand full of little bones splayed on top of it. It raised my eyebrows to. Apparently Mrs. Takada was trying to speak with the dead but I didn't understand why the bones, which were probably chicken bones, were there. Voodoo was a completely different type of magic. If you believed in that sort of thing.

"So? Did you find out anything? Does my husband know where Mai is?" Mrs. Takada asked with hope shimmering in her large brown eyes. Takada was a thick woman in a voluptuous kind of way. Her hair was dark brown and flowed over her shoulders and ample chest in thick curls.

I'm not a very good liar, I have possibly the worst poker face in the world. Inside my head I frantically thought about how I could possibly tell this woman that her daughter was dead. Unfortunately it must have shown on my face.

"You don't know do you?" She asked, her face crumpling.

See? Worst poker face ever. Its a good thing I don't gamble... unless its with Sasuke's money.

"No," I answered honestly. Shikamaru was right, without a body I had no proof that she was dead or at least nothing that would stand up in court.

"What about my husband?" Now she was looking more frantic. She clasped her hands together tightly over her chest.

I shook my head, "I'm sorry. But if he's here I don't see him."

I'd assumed Kakashi had told her about my ability to see the dead but her suddenly lost expression suggested just the opposite.

"See the dead? I thought you could just communicate with them through tarot or that you were possibly psychic?"

Tarot wasn't used to speak with the departed. It was a guide of sorts or even used for fortune-telling. Where the heck was she getting her information? And why did she think I was psychic?

I shot Kakashi a death glare, then turned back to Mrs. Takada with a soft smile. "Yes I can communicate with the dead but I don't need a _tarot deck_ or a talking board to do it. And I'm not a psychic." Why the hell was she staring at me like I was half-baked? The woman had a 'Voodoo For Dummies' book on the coffee table for gods sake. Mrs. Takada may appear to understand new age and the paranormal but she had honestly no clue.

Her face softened and I felt my blood pressure sky-rocket at the pity swirling in those brown orbs.

"No one can see the dead dear." Her voice so soft it might as well have been cotton. It was close to patronizing. Like everyone else, she assumed I was nuts. So I'm not crazy if I use tools of witch craft or psychic ability but apparently if I can _see_ the dead I'm bat-shit crazy?

My brow ticket but thankfully my voice didn't carry the anger I felt. "Look Mrs. Takada I came here to help but there are no ghosts here so..."

"That's okay dear. You tried your best. Even if you can't see him I know my husbands still here, watching over me and my daughter. She's out there, somewhere with that delinquent boyfriend of hers-"

"Wait. You reported her missing right?"

Now she looked offended. Oops. "Yes but her best friend reported it first. Said it was unusual behavior. I told the police that this isn't the first time Mai's run away but normally she's back in a day or two. Of course I'm worried sick _now_." She said defensively.

It was the truth, she was worried about Mai but sadly I wondered if she should've been worried sooner. Even if Mai made running away a habit, Mrs. Takada should've still contacted the police long before being told by her daughters best friend. In all honesty without a body, there was no point in telling her that Mai was dead. She wouldn't believe me and might even become angry and kick us out if I did. Mrs. Takada hadn't provided me with any useful information.

No. No wait she had.

"Mrs. Takada before I go can you give me the name and number of the friend that reported her missing?"

"Haruhi. I don't know her last name but..." She stopped mid sentence, walked over to a desk covered in new age books, crystals and small statues to pull out a piece of paper and scribbled something down. When she was done she handed it to me. In glittery purple ink was scrolled a number with Haruhi's name above it.

"Thank you. If you need anything else from me you can contact me through Kakashi."

The smile she wore wasn't pleased and I doubted she would ever ask anything of me again. Which I was fine with.

Back in the Bronco I gave Kakashi an ear full that would make even Sasuke cringe. "Seriously you told her I was psychic? And what the hell? She believes the ghost of her dead husband protects her but I'm crazy because I can see ghosts?"

He wasn't cringing and his ears weren't bleeding. Which meant I wasn't being loud enough. "And why the hell did it take her daughters best friend Haruhi, to get the woman to report her missing in the first place? Her daughters dead and I can't tell her that because I'm the crazy one."

"Your not crazy Sakura but your going to have to be patient if other people don't understand what your capable of doing."

Did he have to sound so reasonable?

I deflated, then forgot my anger entirely when I thought of something I forgot to ask Mai's mother. "What was with the shrine?"

"The dogs?" He asked, eyes fixed on the road.

"Yeah. His name was Hero. But from the few photo's I saw of the two together the dog couldn't have been more than three. How did he die?"

"Cancer. I believe that's when Mai's behavior became more unpredictable. Mrs. Takada is sure that a lot of Mai's problems stem from grief over the loss of her dog and then the loss of her father sent her over the edge. So to speak. Does that mean it was the dog instead of the father still roaming the house?"

I shook my head, leaned back against the seat and pretended not to feel the two men staring at me from the back seats. "I've never seen a ghost animal of any kind and I didn't see a ghost in that house at all. It's possible she made it up. With all the different types of witch craft and religious paraphernalia scattered around the house, its entirely possible that in order to protect herself from the truth, she believes her husband watches over her and their daughter. She needs to see a therapist. If we find Mai's body it may break her grip on reality completely."

"At least I'm not the only one who noticed her odd behavior."

Again I shrugged, "I'm not a psychiatrist. I can't tell how badly she's in denial but its clear she's tried to find peace in one to many different ways that aren't working. I think she knows she messed up by waiting to contact the police and she's trying to convince herself that nothing is wrong and that any moment her daughter will walk through the front door."

"What did Nara have to say, un?" Deidara asked, leaning between the two front seats.

"That there's another girl missing, who could easily be Mai's twin."

"Shit, ya."

"My sentiments exactly and Deidara put your damn seat belt on."

He leaned back and smiled at me in the rearview as he pulled the strap across his chest. I didn't look away till I heard the click of the lock then glanced at our other silent passenger. He didn't meet my eyes, his gaze was focussed out the window. Considering what he saw and heard today I found it surprising that he hadn't asked a single question. Even Sasuke had been curious about my affinity towards the dead but apparently Itachi had written me off as a loony like all the rest.

My eyes slid back to the road, there was an unwelcome tightness in my gut. Reluctantly I admitted to myself that Itachi was attractive and that over the last couple of weeks I'd developed a secret crush that would probably always remain a secret. My love life, or lack there of, was nothing to be proud of and it would inevitable take another hit as potential dates or boyfriends figured out that I was a freak.

Thankfully my phone buzzed, forcing my self pity to take a backseat as I read the text Shika sent me. 'No body by the bridge.' It read. He was talking about the bridge where I'd first encountered Mai's ghost inside my car. It had been a long shot anyway. Ghosts had a tendency to find me, not the other way around. I was preparing to shoot him a text about getting Mai's mother some help when a loud metallic bang had me jumping in my seat.

We were stopped several cars away from an intersection on 3rd and Green. There was nearly wall to wall traffic and I thought at first Kakashi had plowed into the car in front of us. I was wrong. My eyes widened as I stared at a dog, baring its muzzle full of razor-sharp teeth at me through the windshield. The giant animal barked and growled in a very persistent manner that sent my heart sputtering like a frenzied rabbit.

The men in the car noticed my strange reaction but couldn't see or hear the dog on the hood of the car. Because it was Hero, Mai's dead Akita. Apparently animals can leave behind ghosts.

"Sakura?" Kakashi said warily, his eyes searching the car in front of us. Instinct causing him to touch the butt of the gun beneath his shirt.

I swallowed down the panic that had climbed up my throat. The dogs persistent barking was becoming more and more alarming. Hero's big head jerked around as if hearing something I could not. He barked at me again and there was something that was almost insistent about the sound as if he too was panicked. The dog jumped down and bolted down a side street that was blocked with traffic. I did the only thing I could think of. Unfastening the seat belt, throwing open the door and racing after the big white ghost dog as his incorporeal body weaved through cars.

"Sakura chan!" Deidara shouted.

I didn't turn back to see if he followed, afraid I'd lose sight of the dog. Horns blazed as cars began to move and I got in their path. People shouted and waved the bird in my general direction as I passed. I paid very little attention which I was sure I'd freak out about later.

"Hero!" I shouted, hoping the big dog would slow down because I was losing him. The distance between us grew steadily larger. Before getting shot I was an avid runner and had descent strength and stamina thanks to all the hours I put in at the dojo but it was clear that I was much slower than before. I'd have to start working out again soon if I wanted to rebuild what I'd lost.

A deep ache spread through my chest. The bullet wounds protested as did my lungs. When you can hear the sound of your feet slapping the ground it means your about to hit burn out. I didn't know how long I'd been running but the scenery was beginning to change. We headed deeper into an area of town that had suffered greatly from a fire several years ago. Many of the building still stood like hollowed out blackened shells. The windows broken or blown out, with scorch marks that covered most of the original paint. At night the buildings looked down right spooky but it was still light outside and would be for a few more hours. The buildings were mostly condemned and forgotten. And as I followed the dog deeper and deeper into the skeletal remains of a once busy street I found that we were entirely alone.

Just when I thought I'd collapse from exhaustion Hero crawled under a chain link fence and ran into one of the abandon buildings.

Crouching I got in through the same broken area in the fence as the dog had, only less gracefully as I left several strands of hair and bits of flesh were the metal had got me. This building, like a few of the others close by, wasn't completely eaten away by the fire.

"Hero!" I called, then thought better of shouting in an unfamiliar place since I was alone. Sasuke was so gonna kill me and if not him, Naruto would certainly make my life hell.

The windows inside this building had been shattered by other means. Trash and the smell of old urine combined with the heat almost sent me running right back out of the building, except that I could hear the dog barking from deeper inside.

The walls in almost every room had been tagged with crude messages or lewd poorly drawn images. There were tons of empty bottles, used condoms and enough syringes to make me more couscous about were I stepped. It would suck to contract some sort of disease just by tripping and cutting myself on something.

Hero's barks became louder and closer together. I walked through several more rooms until I found him again. We were standing in what could've been an office but all the furniture had probably been scavenged by squatters or homeless long ago.

The big Akita looked up at me then walk towards another door behind him and began to scratch at it. He whimpered and whined, scratching relentlessly. I realized he wanted me to open it, because without a physical body he was bound to a different laws than me. The dog could've just simply passed through it but he was trying to show me something.

With the adrenaline rush still burning through my veins I didn't hesitate to grab the knob and pull, but it didn't give. Confused I examined the knob and noticed two things. One, the door knob was brand new and so was the dead-bolt just above it. Two, both required keys to unlock it.

Fear skittered across my skin, raising goose flesh in its wake. Someone had purposely bolted this door. But why? The building was condemned and had been abandoned... wow was I stupid or what.

He barked at me and scratched harder, standing on his hind legs, which meant I was nose to nose with him, as he scratched and rammed his weight against the door. Suddenly the dog vanished through it and I could hear him whining on the other side.

Wiping the sweat from my eyes, I grabbed the door knob and jerked, then slammed my own weight into it. Hero's barks were frantic and I knew without a doubt that Mai was in there. I hit the door again and sucked in a breath as pain bloomed in my chest.

"Damn it!"

I took a step back then hit the door again. It groaned but didn't give.

_Why am I so weak? _

This time I kicked the door right by the dead bolt.

_I always have to depend on everyone else for help... _

With a running start I hit the door at a dead run. It splintered and cracked. Definitely not as easy as the movies make it seem. Then again I wasn't very big and something about the way the door shook told me it was reinforced somehow on the other side.

_What's the point of seeing ghosts if you can't save anyone!_

I took another running start but an arm wrapped around my stomach like iron and pulled me into an equally hard chest.

"Sakura what the hell, un?" Deidara asked, his accent thick because of his anger.

I pushed against him, barely aware that the pain in my chest was beginning to burn.

"She's in there," I twisted in his arms and stared up at him with sheer panic, "Mai is in there."

Itachi stepped into the room just then, looking slightly annoyed but not even breathing hard after obviously giving chase like Deidara had. The few stray hairs that escaped his pony tail were the only indicator that he'd ran at all.

"Damn." He growled, loosening his grip but not letting go completely. "Wait here, ya."

Deidara never questioned me, which I was thankful for. He released me with some reluctancy then walked up to the door. Crouching, he examined the lock, then put his ear to the door, holding up a hand for us to stay silent. Finally he stood and without preamble delivered a powerful kick that was aligned with the locks. It broke but the door didn't swing in, putting his weight behind it he began to push. There was a scraping sound on the other side but he managed to shove it open enough for us to slip through.

Ignoring his protest I followed behind him. I gasped and didn't want my brain to register the picture my eyes were painting before me. The two rooms had been connected, this one looking more like a place for meetings with large windows and a long boardroom table, way to big for any squatter to carry out.

On top of the table lay two women, both splayed out in a degrading manner for the biggest shock factor. They both had the same colored hair and probably the same figure but beneath all the bloat it was hard to tell. One had definitely been here longer than the other because her stomach had burst open from rot. The acrid smell of death and decay was debilitating. I staggered but a strong, gentle hand steadied me and since Deidara was in front of us that left Itachi. I didn't look up at him. I didn't want him to see just how much the scene had disturbed me. Growing up in foster care at the hands of many bullies had taught me never to show fear if I could help it. A poker face I didn't have but I could swallow down my fear and freak out later.

"Thanks," I said softly and stepped away from him. I moved closer to the bodies to get a better look. After all I was still a doctor and had seen my fair share of corpses, even ones more decayed than this. It was just the way they were laid out that bothered me the most. The killer had no remorse and had left their bodies bare with their legs spread wide. The shock was replaced with rage.

Hero, Mai's Akita jumped on top of the table, laid down by the body closest to me and curled up next to her. Fiercely loyal to the end. The big dog whined and disappeared.

Hot tears welled up and rolled down my cheeks. Screw not getting involved with police business not while I was ass deep in it. Not when I had to watch people relive their deaths right in front of me.

Pulling my phone out I called Shika, while the phone rang I heard a soft whirring sound that drew all our gazes up and to the left corner of the room. A camera moved slowly, stopping when I was in full view. Cold dread sat like a weight in my chest.

Shikamaru picked up, "yeah?"

"Nara... I found them."

"Who Sakura?"

"Mai... I found Mai and Hara..."

* * *

**Author's note: Thanks for reading. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Hopefully the mistakes were minor. I only have my phone to type with and the basic notes app doesn't have grammar or spell check. Thank gods for copy and paste. Already working on the next chapter. Laters!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Into The Belly of The Beast**

"A black cat? That's the best you can come up with?" Shikamaru asked incredulously. The detective was obviously tired. The suite he wore was rumpled and stained, with the tie at half mast. He'd never seemed like the type to wear a tie in the first place but there it was. In all its christmas glory with reindeer and honest to god blinking lights. Someone should probably tell the poor guy that it was only midsummer.

"Yes a black cat." I repeated, knowing that my face betrayed me. Focusing my gaze on his hideous tie hadn't helped, undoubtably the bullshit meter was going off for every cop within ear shot. Although truthfully it hadn't been my fault. When asked how I found the bodies, Kakashi took it upon himself to answer for me. Idiot. Not that my lie would've been anymore believable.

The man -I felt was at fault for our current stand-off with Shikamaru and another detective named Hanzou- wrapped an arm around my shoulders and smiled.

"Yes detective though it was actually a kitten. You see while we were stuck in traffic our dear Sakura here saw a helpless black kitten darting between cars. Fearing for the kittens safety- Sakura has a soft spot for helpless things you see, she bravely jumped out of her seat and chased the kitten through a path of dangerous motorists. The poor kitten must have been frightened because it kept running and led Sakura straight to the abandon building and inside where she found the bodies."

Shikamaru flipped back a page in his notebook. The harsh lines of his expression softened but when he met my gaze I felt a pang of regret for having to lie to him because we both knew it was in fact a lie. "Three miles?"

"What?" I asked, shocked. Could they hear my heart jump?

"You ran three miles for a kitten?" Shikamaru had to know I had nothing to do with the deaths of those two women. I couldn't say for certain but the way he asked it was almost as if he wanted a better story. A better lie perhaps. Something more substantial than chasing some phantom stray cat. I couldn't really tell him about the ghost, not with Hanzou standing right there. I'd pull the over worked Shikamaru aside later and tell him the truth. Kakashi's bull shit story wouldn't hold water if closely picked at but the detective couldn't really write about a ghost dog in his report. I'd get committed. But curiously I wondered if Shikamaru really cared if I got in trouble or not? Frankly I thought he enjoyed arresting me the last time.

"Look detective," Kakashi's voice was still soft but there was an edge to it now, "unless we're under arrest I need to take Sakura home. Its not safe for her to be exposed for so long."

"I doubt anyone will be dumb enough to take a shot at her with half of the KPD surrounding her." He said tiredly, pocketing the small well used notepad. No argument from the detective but I think he silently agreed with Kakashi.

Hanzou, the other detective who'd been listening put his notebook up as well. His brown eyes focused on my face and I felt a blush try to creep across my cheeks. Hanzou was a handsome man and I found his soul patch to be cute rather than strange on the face of a man who had to be close to thirty. Still that was young by detective standards.

His full lips stretched into a smile, revealing a dimple on his left cheek. I smiled back but felt that mine was less genuine than his.

The smile faded to one of sympathy as he said, "I don't know if I should be concerned or grateful that you've been keeping us so busy these last few weeks."

I noted that there was flecks of amber in the depths of his brown orbs and that even though he was being polite he was giving me the full attention of a cop. I would've probably lost all respect for him as a detective if he hadn't found my involvement at least somewhat suspicious. But hopefully he wouldn't dig to much.

The cop stare was making me nervous so I tried to dispel the unwanted attention with an unsettling question that just decided to pop into my head. "What about the camera?"

Shikamaru had been observing the other detective as he spoke with me. His brow furrowed as he looked in my direction, "no good. It was a wireless feed and according to our tec guys the signal was bounced off several satellites and countries before we could even start tracking it, the signal went dead."

"Fantastic. Can I go home now?" I asked, sounding every bit as whiny as Naruto. Not the best habit to be picking up from the blond but I did enjoy the look of torment that crossed Sasuke's face whenever I mimicked the sound. It came in handy when arguing with the younger Uchiha.

Shikamaru met Kakashi's gaze just over my head. "Is she safe where she's staying?"

I gaped, "what?"

Kakashi placed his hands on my shoulders, "it doesn't get much safer but I undersatnd your concern."

I didn't.

Shikamaru nodded, "its doubtful he'll come after her. She doesn't fit the profile but killers are not always predictable."

"Wait, wait, wait." I waved my arms in the air. "Excuse me? Who's profile?"

"He saw your face Sakura." Shikamaru said.

"But he saw De- Kakashi's face to?" Actually Kakashi hadn't shown up until after we'd exited the building. Deidara and Itachi had to make themselves scares once I'd called the police. Wouldn't be wise to have Akatsuki members, even if the cops weren't aware they were members, near dead bodies. Deidara I knew was on their suspected Akatsuki member list. I wasn't to concerned that the cops would get ahold of the video feed but I'd worry about it later if they did and neither men had touched anything.

"Its just better to take precaution Sakura. This killer seems to have a preference and though your not his apparent type, he might be angry that you discovered his dump site which he enjoys reliving through the video feed. Its not accessible to him now. Though just incase," he looked back at Kakashi, "you should keep your eyes peeled to."

I swallowed thickly because my tongue wouldn't work. Two. I'd attracted the notice of two killers. Sasuke and Naruto were gonna lock me in a padded cell in the middle of some uncharted island.

With a hand on my shoulder, Kakashi led me towards the Branco. The safety of the condo sounded wonderful at the moment. Naruto was there and had been attempting to blow up my phone for the last two hours. Eventually I'd picked up and briskly told him I was fine and would be home as soon as possible and reassured him that I was not alone. Telling him I was at a death scene and was being questioned wouldn't have been a bright idea. Like Sasuke, I suspected the blond had his own means of tracking me and I didn't need him blowing up all over me while being questioned by the police.

Back at the car, I gingerly hoisted myself up into the tall vehicle, taking care not to drag the seatbelt over the fresh wound in my chest. Small scabs had rubbed off and the sutures had been pulled during the hectic events of the night, leaving the wounds sore and bleeding. The bleeding itself wasn't that bad but the sharp pinpricks of pain left me in a foul mood, well fouler anyway. I'd taken great care in hiding it from the police and the paramedics, not wanting a trip to the hospital or a complete stranger reapplying bandages when I could do it myself later. The dark fabric of my tank soaked up what little blood there actually was and I was glad that I'd opted for something black. Blood was a bitch to get out of any other color. However the white shorts may end up in the garbage if the washer couldn't remove the revolting amount of dirt and grime they'd somehow acquired. Hopefully none of it was decomp.

"How's the wound?" Kakashi asked mildly, his gaze intent on the road. Though nothing in his face showed it, the white knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel spoke volumes about how concerned or perhaps angry he was. Maybe both.

"Pulled a bit of the scabbing and the sutures," I shrugged, "no big deal."

"No big deal." He repeated carefully, tone flat.

I braced for impact.

"Sakura." Exasperation saturated his voice, making me wince. "You jumped out of the car in the middle of wall to wall traffic without any explanation. What's more you left without backup or a weapon. Have you forgotten that someone has put a hit out on you."

The question was rhetorical so I stayed silent.

"Deidara and Itachi weren't able to react swiftly enough and you run fast for a woman healing from a couple of bullet wounds. I knew they would eventually catch up with you but if the hitman was around he would've been able to take you out without interference. You could've been killed."

Bile rose in the back of my throat. When I'd taken off, I hadn't thought about my own life or the lives of my friends who were _trying_ to protect me. I wasn't exactly making it easy. The guys were exposed running just as much as I was. There wasn't a hit on them as far as I knew but the killer could've taken them out if he thought he stood a good chance at taking me out to. I never asked for their protection but I knew they were probably the only thing standing between me and another bullet. Not many people would take the chance of stepping into Akatsuki territory or taking a shot at someone while being protected by the Akatsuki, unless they had a death wish. But the area of town we were in wasn't part of their territory. West Konoha was controlled by a different gang altogether. The Noh Mask Devils didn't have the same reach or power the Akatsuki had but they'd managed to secure a little piece of Konoha for themselves.

"Sakura," he touched my face, seeing my distress, "let us help protect you. It doesn't make you weak by any means. The bad old days are long behind you, now you have plenty of friends who love you and want to protect you." He squeezed my shoulder gently until I looked at him. "Let them."

I nodded, fighting back the stupid tears that sprung to my eyes. He rubbed my shoulder reassuringly before returning his attention to the road. For the next half hour we drove in blissful silence.

* * *

"Sakura chan!"

Arms like corded steel wound around me and pulled me into a fierce hug that left me gasping for air and wincing at the pain in my chest. The almost blistering heat of his body shocked me. It was hot outside but the events of the night had left me frozen to the core. The temptation to just remain in his embrace was almost over whelming. Almost.

I pushed against his chest and his arms tightened around me.

"Naruto," I wheezed.

He shifted. Instantly I missed the heat of his body. I leaned back because standing this close, I had to look up to see his face. His hands firmly grasped my shoulders as he surveyed my face with a keenness I rarely noticed in the depths of those blue orbs.

"Your bleeding," he said softly.

Naruto was normally a happy-go-lucky type of guy. The only time he was serious about anything was when he was on a job and when his friends were hurt or in danger. Loyalty and friendship meant more to him than to most people because Naruto I learned wasn't your average man. Cheating death had left me with the ability to see ghosts... and demons or at least their aura's. I wasn't sure if it was so much his aura that I sometimes saw but every so often a reddish glow wrapped itself around my blond roommate. Usually in times of stress or when his emotions ran high. He'd obviously been worried about me because there was a faint reddish cast around his face.

"I'm alright," I assured him. Closing the door behind me. Kakashi hadn't wanted to come up and visit knowing that the normally chipper blond would be in a less than pleasant mood. Not wanting the same thorough ass chewing I was in for, the P.I. had claimed he had other business to attend to. Except he'd smiled in a way that had me suspecting he was actually laughing at me. The jerk.

Naruto didn't look convinced in the least and led me straight towards the guest bathroom. Unfortunately I'd never allow company to use this bathroom since Naruto had made it his. I made an ick face at the dirty socks on the floor as he shoved me inside. A small squeak of protest escaped me as he suddenly lifted me and sat me on the counter like a child. Had it been anyone else I would've given them a swift kick in the balls.

He pulled up the bottom of my shirt, exposing my stomach. I smacked his hand, having enough of this over-baring-mother-hen crap. His eyes stayed fixed on mine as I pulled the top over my head, exposing the black bra and the blood stained bandage. Gently he peeled the tape off and discarded the soiled bandage in the small trash can by the toilet. The wound was mostly pink-puckered scar tissue but there was still minor scabbing and enough sutures to make me feel like the bride of frankenstein, all I needed was the crazy hair. It still hurt like a bitch though and the scabs were hanging by a hope and prayer. Blood oozed in small rivulets over my breast, soaking into the fabric of the bra. Fantastic. Not!

Naruto bent down and grabbed the first aid kit I'd stored under the sink. The blonds calm professionalism shocked the hell out of me. Any other time he'd caught me in a bra, he'd always make some sort of crude comment or joke about getting in the sack together. Judging by the way he was taking care not to meet my gaze I'd say it was the injury that sobered his mood. The tightness in his jaw and the intensity of his gaze was maddening. I'd take whining, bitching, obnoxious Naruto over this stranger any day.

"Say something?" I hedged, wincing as he gently pulled off the hanging scabs.

The tense silence stretched between us and I had to fight back the urge to shake him. Not now that the demons aura began to sluggishly ooze out of him, meaning he was a hell of a lot angrier than I originally thought. Luckily the Kyuubi, which was the Bijuu contained within him, hadn't reached his eyes as they flicked up to meet mine. A Jinchurikin is what he'd called himself when he could no longer hide it from me. As far as I knew there were ten Bijuu and because of carefully selected people like Naruto, the demons no longer plagued the earth. However despite how strong the tattoo thingy on his belly was, there were side effects of containing a demon. Heightened senses, unnatural strength and healing and a monstrous appetite just to name a few. But there was one major draw back to being a Jinchurikin and that was the constant battle to hold onto humanity. To not let the beast take over. Right now Naruto was doing just that, fighting for control because his anger had gotten the better of him.

I touched his face and nearly jerked back at the sweltering heat coming off his skin. If I flinched back that would only hurt him so I cupped his other cheek, holding his face captive between my hands. Naruto sometimes viewed himself as a monster and I was determined not to let him ever think I felt the same. Because he wasn't a monster. I'd met real monsters. Funny how none of them were demons but just regular -albeit evil humans.

"Naruto. I. Am. Fine." I said carefully. "You need to calm down."

He blinked slowly, exhaling the breath he'd been holding. The tension in his jaw relaxed beneath my fingers.

"Sorry." He straightened. My hands fell to my knees. Naruto stood a head taller than me but sitting on the counter gave him extra height. Still silent, he fixed a fresh bandage over the no longer bleeding wound and taped it down.

"I'll wait for you in the living room." Abruptly he exited the bathroom. But he didn't slam the door so that's a good sign right?

Exhausted I slipped the tank back over my head and went after my roommate. I found him in the living room, pacing back and forth, back and forth.

"Sasuke called you?" Because it was obvious someone had. Surely all this steam wasn't simply because he'd found out I was at a homicide scene.

"Sasuke called. As did Kakashi and let's not forget that Shikamaru found you in the den of a serial killer!"

I winced. Sounded worse out loud.

"How could you do something so stupid? Your suppose to be the smart one. The level-headed one."

Jumping out of car and chasing after a dog that no one could see was probably one of the more bone headed things I'd done but stupid? No it wasn't stupid. My gut told me to follow the dog so I did and I found two missing women. Granted they were dead but at least the families could find a little peace being able to bury a body instead of an empty coffin. I'd had just about enough of people yelling at me today.

I scowled at Naruto and that seemed to cut off his next rant so I dived right in before he could get a second wind.

"Naruto. I'm sorry I scared you but that doesn't give you or anyone else the right to berate me. I'm a doctor Naruto. Its in my nature to help people. You didn't see those girls. I did. I watched one of them relive her death right in front of me." I was shaking now, voice raised with anger and fear.

"You didn't see them Naruto. Even after death their killer gave them no peace. He left them out for display, watching their decaying corpses via a camera so he could revisit his sick fantasy. I apologized for worrying you but I will not apologize for helping those women. Even if all I managed to do was get their bodies returned to their families."

Damn it I was crying now. The sick horror replayed behind my eyelids and the smell... oh god the smell of decomp and trash still smelled as if it was in the same room. They'd suffered for so long. What was the point of seeing ghosts if I couldn't save anyone?

For the second time that night Naruto pulled me into the safety of his arms. The anger was gone from his face replaced with a gentle look of sympathy and concern. I hugged him close, taking in the scent of woodsy musk and the hint of ramen that always seemed to cling to him. Tears fell from my eyes only to be absorbed by Naruto's white shirt but he didn't mind. He rubbed soothing circles across my back, whispering words of comfort against my hair.

A few minutes later we ended up in my bedroom, Naruto left me to change clothes then returned and crawled into bed with me. There was nothing sexual in the way he held me. Like before he traced soothing circles on my back and quietly promised he'd always be there.

After the evening I had I didn't think I'd be able to sleep but surprisingly exhaustion tugged at my eyelids and I didn't fight it. Even better, I didn't have a single dream.

* * *

"It's tragic is what it is!" Haruhi whined.

"Tragic," I agreed in the hopes that it would end her rant. It didn't.

"I could've been the next J Lo!"

The knife I held as I cut up a few strawberries paused as I looked at the deceased fifteen year old. She'd been the first ghost I'd ever encountered but unlike all the rest who disappeared or went off to where ever ghosts go she'd stayed behind and often dropped in unannounced to bitch about her mother and her untimely end. Bitching about her mother was warranted since the woman had killed the up and coming pop star out of pure jealousy. I'd also been arrested by Shikamaru thanks to her. Not that I really blamed the detective when I basically solved a homicide case for him. Of course he was suspicious. I'd be suspicious to but that didn't mean I couldn't hold it against him.

_J Lo though?_

"More like JELL-O." I snickered, eying the kool aid aqua color of her hair. She'd probably dyed it just days before her murder. I'd been laid up in the hospital after being shot. The first time I saw her I thought the morphine dosage had been to high because a floating girl with aqua colored hair just wasn't a normal day to day occurrence. However it wasn't until a few days later when none of the nurses would shoo the obnoxious teenager out of my room that I realized she was dead and that I had bigger problems than just the two holes in my chest.

"JELL-O!" She shrieked. "Your one to talk cotton candy head."

I smiled and she scowled, because I didn't consider cotton candy head as an insult. I'd heard a lot more venomous words flung my way about my hair, many of which had actually hurt when I was young but most of it didn't bother me now. When you grow up with crayola pink hair you either grow a thick skin or dye it. Coloring my hair was out of the question and by the time I was old enough to drive to a store and by hair-dye myself I'd already acquired a thick skin.

"Whatever." She said exasperated, then disappeared.

I finished filling a cereal bowl full of fruit then headed for the table. Mid stride JELL-O popped back into the condo, right in front of my face. The dreamy expression that crossed her heart-shaped face had me considering backing up and running in the opposite direction.

"What are you up to know?" I asked cautiously.

"Who's the hotty?"

Naruto was in the other room asleep but she'd already seen the blond and had followed him around like a love struck teenager for weeks before moving onto Sasuke. I'd put a stop to that when she decided to share some of their going ons when I wasn't around. It felt wrong to listen to their private matters, especially since they had no chance of ever knowing a ghost was tailing them. If I told them she was, they would probably both be pissed at me.

"What guy?"

"The one heading for your door."

Setting down the bowl of chopped fruit on the kitchen island I made my way for the door. It was much to early for most of the people I knew to be awake and Sasuke would be gone for a few more days. The thought of Sasuke's warning had me walking back to the sink, grabbing the knife I'd just used before going for the door.

Paranoid? Who? Me? Nah...

Curious but not stupid, I held the knife behind my back as I slowly swung the door open. Hanzou who I did not expect in the least stood in front of me with a hand poised to knock. He smiled, showing off his dimple.

"Detective," I regarded him curiously, then I realized how insanely rude I was being. Its not like he was the serial killer. "Sorry," I stepped back, "come in if you want."

I suspected the detective had a few more questions and I didn't want to do it with the door open. He nodded then closed the door and followed me into the kitchen where he sat on a barstool and leaned his elbows against the island.

"Coffee?" I asked. Dropping the knife back in the sink. Thankfully I don't think the detective noticed.

"Please," he smiled and I was absolutely positive he was showing off that dimple.

Pretty flirtatious for a detective here on duty. Then I noticed his clothes. Black t-shirt, tight across the chest but loose enough to hide the gun at his waist and also a pair of black jeans that had seen better days. Civi clothes? I revised my assessment and decided he was probably off duty but then why had he come here?

Before I could ask Naruto bolted into the room, half-naked and with a gun in the band of his black and orange striped boxers.

"Who are you?" He asked, his tone bordering on hostel. Not even the least bit concerned that he was half-naked and looked like he stuck his fingers in an outlet. Then again his hair pretty much always looked like that.

Hanzou's eyes widened, regarded the gun then his expression changed. Cop eyes. I set the detectives coffee down with a loud clank then turned to glare at my roommate. Idiot. If the detective wanted to be an ass he could check for Naruto's carrier license. He had one but I doubted that particular gun was registered.

"For god sakes Naruto. Pants. Put on some damn pants!"

"Who's he?" The irritated blond asked instead.

"This is detective Hanzou. A cop. Not a serial murderer or a hitman. Now go put on some damn pants!"

Naruto frowned but turned and walked out of sight. Hopefully to put on some freaking pants and put away the gun. Though somehow I doubted he'd return unarmed. Maybe less obvious but not unarmed.

"Boyfriend?" Hanzou asked, his gaze slowly returning to mine.

"Good god no."

He smirked, seeming pleased by the answer though I couldn't fathom why that mattered. Noticing the coffee, he picked it up, took a sip and winced. "Got any sugar?"

I nodded in understanding. Sasuke always brought home the good coffee, the real stuff. The taste's varied but they were always black and hit you like a Mack truck. I'd gotten used to drinking it black just so I wouldn't have to endure Sasuke's bitching about how good coffee was wasted on people who turned it into a sugary-milky sludge.

"So," I set the sugar in front of him, "why are you here?"

A decidedly flirtatious smile crossed his lips. "Can't I just come say hello?"

I frowned, "we're not friends. Nor are we colleagues and other than last night we've never met before. There's no reason for you to drop by and just say 'hi'."

"Ouch. I thought we were at least friendly acquaintances?" He said, face pitched in mock hurt but there was laughter in his eyes.

My brow arched and I watched him from over the rim of my mug as I took a drink. The thick liquid tasted faintly earthy and rich. The bitterness was an acquired taste but I thought it went great with pancakes doused in syrup. Mmmm pancakes.

"-and I still had a few questions."

Crap I'd zoned out while he'd been talking.

"What?" I asked.

He pursed his lips, perhaps annoyed that I'd tuned him out. But dammit I was hungry and I didn't intend on cooking the detective breakfast. My bowl of fruit sat forgotten near Hanzou's elbow and I bit back a snarl as the detective took notice of it and began munching.

"I said Shikamaru assigned me to drive by every once in awhile. Just until we're sure the killer isn't going to come after you for discovering his treasure trove. Also I still had a few questions anyway so I decided to just stop in." He glanced around the room, apparently looking for something and when he didn't find it he met my gaze with a frown. "You have no security system in this place."

I shrugged, "no point really."

His frown deepened as questions formed in his eyes but Naruto chose that moment to return and answered the detective.

"We have our own security measures in place." The blond said, tone flat. He walked into the kitchen, thankfully wearing a pair of sweat pants but hadn't bothered to put a shirt on and I suspected he did it to intimidate Hanzou. Naruto was heavily muscled without an ounce of fat. Where Sasuke was lean and built more like a swimmer, Naruto was more like a body builder, with an impressive chest and biceps thick around as tree trunks. The _security measures_ he'd hinted at was an arrangement of decorative mirrors, strategical placed so they could see into rooms, behind them and around corners without actually going around them. Then there was the military grade hardware the boys had hidden throughout the condo and a few other things in place that I knew were there but didn't know what they were.

Hanzou looked skeptical but wisely decided to drop it. Eyes guarded as he watched Naruto pour himself a cup of coffee and lean against the counter. Close enough that Naruto's broad shoulder and hip were touching me.

"Detective?" I prompted, smiling into my mug because it was obvious that the blond bothered him.

"Yes." He tore his eyes from the blond and settled on me. "Did you find the kitten?"

"Kitten?" My brow furrowed, then I remembered the lie Kakashi had spun. Shaking my head I said, "no. Surely you didn't come up here just to ask that?"

He set the mug down and the sharp intensity of his eyes startled me. "You said that you chased the cat all the way to the abandoned buildings correct?"

I nodded, stomach tightening.

"Well it's just... witnesses who saw you exit the vehicle and run through oncoming traffic didn't see a cat."

"Why would they when a pink haired woman is weaving through cars?" I retorted, doubting that there were as many _witnesses_ as he was implying. On a Monday night, no one thought of anything other than getting home after a grueling day on the job. They hadn't cared that someone had been frantically running against the oncoming traffic. No they would've been more concerned about having to stop again and miss the light because some dumb ass was in the road.

"True but why that building?"

I scowled blackly at him. Oh come on. He was acting as if he suspected that I had something to do with the murder. Did I look like a sexual sadist?

"Cat's are territorial by nature. The kitten had probably been born there and because it was frightened it ran back to the place it felt safe." I set the coffee mug down because chucking it at him was just to damn tempting.

He nodded, apparently satisfied with the theory. Then why did it feel like he was still searching for something? Did he suspect something more was going on? Probably but there was no way in hell he'd ever figure out it was the ghost of a dead dog I'd been following. Not unless I told him. Yeah. Right. Because seeing ghosts was totally more believable and didn't sound crazy in the least.

"Is that all?" Naruto asked coldly, his chest flexing as he crossed his arms. The knuckle head really could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be.

A flicker of annoyance passed over the detectives face but it vanished as he turned back to me. The dimple peeked out as he smiled, suddenly looking very confident.

"Actually I had an ulterior motive for coming up to see you." He leaned against the island, no longer concerned with my roommates presents. "Since I'm gonna be spending a lot of time watching your place I thought it would be better to get to know you."

Naruto stiffened beside me and I was shocked at were the conversation was headed.

"Hanzou I'm sorry-"

"Iwashi. You can call me Iwashi and Sakura all I ask is that you let me take you out. Just once. If you decide I'm to much of a prick then I won't bring it up again." His eyes softened, going huge and puppy doggish. But wasn't this unprofessional? Or even against the rules?

Naruto snorted, "dude she's not inter-"

"Alright." I said, surprising myself and my roommate. The guy was ballsy I'd give him that. But did I accepted merely because Naruto had tried to answer for me? It was true that I hated it when my over protective roommates made decisions for me and truthfully it was slightly satisfying to see the look of shock on Naruto's face but still... the detective was basically a total stranger.

Hanzou smiled and my stomach clenched in a brief moment of regret. Truthfully I wasn't all that attracted to the rough around the edges detective but he was a better- no wait, a _safer_ choice than a member of the Aktsuki right? Better to get over my silly little crush than make an idiot of myself. Besides maybe Hanzou would make a really good date. But even as I thought it unease settled like a lead weight inside my chest.

"Great," Hanzou stood, his back popping as he stretched. "How about tomorrow morning for coffee. Just coffee. No strings attached and you can even go in your jammies."

"Jammies?" I asked, smiling despite how ridiculous the offer sounded.

"No pressure is all I'm saying." He smiled and gave a flirtatious waggle of his brows. "Besides after a few minutes you'll fall for my natural charm because lets face it I'm adorable."

"Cha." Naruto snorted.

Hanzou paid no attention to the irritated blond. "Well I better get back to my job before Shikamaru tears me a new one for shirking my duties."

At the door he gave my shoulder a brief squeeze and again my guts tightened. "See you tomorrow Sakura."

I nodded, giving him a smile but when he left and I shut the door the smile faded to a frown of dismay. What the hell had I just done? As if hearing my thoughts Naruto started in.

"Sakura chan why did you say yes?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Maybe because he's not affiliated with a gang or some asshole who wants to see if the curtains match the carpet."

He winced at that. Yeah I'd dated some real losers in the past and pined after men who wouldn't ever look at me as anything other than annoying. The last few dates -and I do mean a _few_ as in three or four in the last two years- didn't end well. Perhaps dating someone who didn't quite fit my preference would turn out to be a good thing. Though honestly I wasn't holding my breath.

My gaze raked over Naruto and his sinfully delicious golden tan skin and a body you just knew would leave you panting beneath the sheets. I knew Naruto had a thing for me but unfortunately I knew I'd never be able to take it further than sex. Besides there was someone else who was crazy about Naruto and I was holding my breath for the day the blond realized he also had a thing for this other person as well.

"Sasuke's not gonna like you dating a cop."

I gave a very un lady like snort. The potential to piss off the overbearing Uchiha was a nice bonus. "Sasuke can kiss my white ass. Who I date is none of his concern."

Naruto smirked, "please let me be there when you tell him that."

I scowled and gave him a withering look before proceeded to clean the mugs and ignore the blond completely. The morning had only degraded more when Deidara stopped by and Naruto informed him of my decision to date the detective. Sheesh it was just one date but the guys acted as if I was committing a mortal sin.

A few hours later I was sprawled out on the couch, hoping that if I played dead the two equally blond and equally annoying males would leave me alone. No such luck.

"Make room, ya." Deidara said, smacking my thigh. I glowered at him but sat up and moved over as he sat down next to me. Grabbing the remote he switched on the big flat screen and began flipping through channels.

"What are you looking for?"

"There's a zombie movie marathon coming on."

"No work today?"

He shook his head, scowling. "They closed down the set for today. The shoot had to be put on hold because of an _accident_."

"Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah even the idiot who fell asleep with a damn cigaret in his hand. The fire destroyed half the set and it has to be repaired." He shook his head. "Fucking dumb ass."

I nodded in agreement.

"Hey Naruto hurry up with the snacks, ya."

"Shut up." Naruto barked but with no real heat behind it.

I glanced at him from over my shoulder and grimaced at the pile of Nachos bigger than his head sitting on the island. The microwave dinged and he poured refried beans atop the molten cheese then a fist full of chicken chunks, globs of sour cream and finally hot sauce. Lots and lots of hot sauce. He stared lovingly at his creation before picking it up and heading for the living room.

The scent of spicy cheese and chicken had my mouth watering. The small mountain didn't look all that appetizing but it smelled fantastic and other than some fruit for breakfast I hadn't eaten all that much. With a silly flourish Naruto handed me a small plate and one of the beers he'd brought from the kitchen.

_Glad I'm not a calorie counter. _I thought as I scooped a small pile of nachos onto my own plate. Perhaps I should be more conscious about what I eat, especially being a doctor but I found it hard to care as the cheesy crunchy goodness hit my tongue. I'd run it off later.

For the next three hours we vegged out on the couch and watched the zombie movie marathon. Just as I was starting to get bored of the shambling and brain eating two ghosts suddenly appeared out of thin air.

My breath caught and I jumped, startled by their sudden appearance. Deidara absently patted my knee with his gaze fixed on a particularly gruesome scene of a man getting his head smashed open like a coconut. He'd thought I reacted to the movie which was fine with me.

Shuu, the boy who'd fearlessly told me what happened to him and Yui, now stared at me with a coldness that sent a jab of sadness and regret straight through my chest. Regret because I should've done more to help him. Sadness because even Yui looked at me with the same expression. Realistically I knew there wasn't much I could do. Right? I wasn't a cop and Shikamaru said he'd handle it.

_'He's hunting again.'_ Shuu said coldly, the hostility making him much older in appearance than a mere seven year old.

Comprehension dawned and I sat rooted to the spot on the couch. _He_ was hunting again. Shit. But wait did that mean the other boy was dead to? Anger and regret swirled in my gut.

"Is the other boy dead?" I asked out loud. Unconcerned by the attention it drew. I felt Deidara's gaze on my face but ignore him. There wasn't a third ghost in the room so just maybe the boy was alive.

Shuu shook his head.

I sighed in relief then felt nauseous when I remembered the boys situation and the hell he had to be enduring.

'_He's hunting again.'_ Shuu repeated. Thankfully the hostility had somewhat drained from his face but it left him looking desperate and sad. It tugged at my heart strings to see him so dismayed. I wished I could ease his pain. Maybe help him- them both move onto the other-side not that I'd ever done that or knew if I even could. However I had a feeling that unless this man was stopped the boys would remain.

Vaguely I was aware that the tv had been turned off but my attention was focused solely on the two boys. I had to help.

_No more taking a backseat Sakura. _

"Where is he?" I'd started to stand but Yui suddenly moved in front of me. His small hand reached out, touched my chest and I felt my body go slack. Someone grabbed me, yelled my name but all of that was background noise as images burst behind my eyes in a shower of color and pain.

_The Chiefs brother, Kawahara held a hammer in his hand. A strangled scream and the sound of bone shattering. Blood spattered his face and his eyes rolled back in what can only be described as ecstasy. _

_A boat. The moon loomed swollen and high in the sky above the water. Kawahara wrestled with Yui's tied up corpse. The sandbags tied to the boys feet were making things difficult for Kawahara. He cursed as he shoved the boy and the sandbags over the edge of the boat._

_Shuu stared up from the mattress on the floor. His face red and dirty but there was a fierceness to his eyes. Determined not to go down without a fight._

_Kawahara. His face an ugly shade of red as he watched the breaking news about a possible lead in the abduction case of three young boys._ I didn't know his first name but he closely resembled his brother. Once the connection was made, even if the Chief knew nothing about his brothers evil doings, the Chief would probably have to resign. The two men looked that much a like. Tall, with swept-back brown hair and dark eyes, both men belonged in some GQ magazine but that's where the similarities stopped.

Another image formed._ A boy on a swing, sitting alone. His feathery blond hair hid bright blue eyes. There was a sadness about him as he watched the other kids play on a different playground, a soccer field separating the two. Someone snatched him from behind, wrapping a hand around his mouth..._

_A parking lot... A sign with falling leaves decorating it... _

When the world slammed back into place it left me reeling and gasping like a fish fighting for air on land. There was a roaring in my ears and I was dully aware that it was the pounding of my heart but the pounding in my head was much more insistent. Something with claws was trying to escape out of my skull. I groaned and cradled my head, hoping my brains wouldn't start leaking out. Naruto's face loomed over mine, his brow furrowed in worry.

"Sakura chan!" He said fiercely. Hands hovering but uncertainty flashed over his face.

_Why was I on the floor?_ I stared up at the two blonds for several seconds, pondering that thought. And why the hell was my brain trying to escape out of my skull? Fuck it was the mother-load of all hangovers times ten.

Shuu's face appeared above mine and I shot up, going straight through the incorporeal boy, causing a chill to skitter over my skin. Yui sat on his knees beside me, looking somewhat worried as well.

"What the hell happened, ya?" Deidara growled, crouching beside Naruto.

"That was new." I said to no one in particular as the images floated in my head like a distant memory. Ghost's rarely spoke to me. Much less show me frame for frame the events that were about to take place. My eye's widened. Or had it?

"Does he already have the boy?" I asked Shuu and Yui.

Shuu shook his head._ 'You don't have much time.'_

"Naruto," I focused on him, willing the room to stop spinning. "Grab my car keys."

A look of puzzlement crossed his features. "Why?"

"For fucks sake woman you just had some type of seizure and now you wanna drive? No way, un."

I scowled blackly at them. I didn't have time for this. In my periphery the two young boys faded out of sight and I let loose a string of curses that sent both of the mens eyebrows into their hairline.

"I'm not driving," I snarled, using the couch to hoist me up. "One of you will drive my car. Where the hell is my phone? Bring your guns."

Both men stared at me perplexed as my eyes wandered around the room in search of my phone. I didn't see it.

I tried to move past them but I was having a hard time not teetering over and Naruto grasped my upper arm before I did a face plant right into the glass coffee table. Sasuke would not be amused. Not about my broken face but about the shattered table.

"Sakura," he held on tight, as if I might blow away, "slow down and tell us whats going on."

Taking a deep breath I anchored myself. Naruto was right. First time for everything. If I didn't slow down and get my head on straight I might be responsible for the death of another boy. The pictures were still vivid in my mind and I recalled the image of the sign I'd seen. I know I recognized it. Naruto kept his hold on me and I let him while I willed the memory to take form and expand.

_Falling leaves... a soccer field... _

My eyes snapped open, I knew where the boy was and whats more I knew where the killer was headed.

"We have to get to Turning Leaves Elementary School right now."

Both men frowned at me, looking equally puzzled.

''The elementary school? Why?" Naruto asked, releasing his hold as I pulled away.

I spoke as I moved about the condo. "The boys that went missing-"

"The one's you suspected the Chiefs brother abducted?" Naruto interjected as I passed.

"Yes." I replied, grabbing my car keys and tossing them to him. He caught them, raising an eyebrow.

My cell phone was on the kitchen table. I pocketed it then went for the laundry room.

"He's headed to Turning Leaves Elementary School where he's planning to take another boy." I shouted, digging through the laundry basket and found the Browning. I pulled the gun free of a pair of spongebob boxers and tucked it into the back of my jeans. I couldn't recall where I'd shoved the holster and didn't want to waste anymore time.

"How do you know that, un?" Deidara pried, his eyes intense as he watched me from the doorway. "I thought you weren't psychic?"

Silently I counted to ten so I wouldn't go crazy bitch on Deidara's ass. I was tired and scared and on a personal level I was freaking out about what had happened. A ghost just basically mind raped me or something close to that anyway. I'd never actually _seen_ what happened to the dead much less what was going to happen. Sure sometimes they relived their deaths but I've never seen it in full HD. In my head. To fucking weird.

"Damn it Deidara I'm not psychic but I don't have time to explain it." I met his gaze, pleading with him. "I'll try my best later but for now there's a seven or eight year old boy who is about to get snatched."

He released a breath and moved out of the door. "Alright but shouldn't you be calling your detective friend?"

"We live only half a mile from the school. We'll get there long before he does. Besides my main objective is to save the boy."

"Then lets get going." Naruto said, holstering a gun just beneath his shirt and then sliding a knife into a spine sheath. I could just kiss the man. He always has my back.

"By the way why are we taking your car instead of Naruto's?" Deidara asked as I locked the door behind us.

"Its a Hummer Deidara. A big-burnt-orange Hummer that sounds like its competing with Naruto when it comes to who can be the loudest. We're trying to be inconspicuous not draw the eye of everyone there. The last thing we want is the guy to panic and you two-" I pointed at both of the equally intimidating males. "-would cause him to panic."

Deidara hopped in the backseat while Naruto drove. I checked to make sure I had a full clip. I did. Also remembering to check and make sure the safety was on. Wouldn't be good for anyone if I accidentally shot myself. Then I pulled out my cell phone and called Shikamaru. The phone rang and I cursed the detective when his answering machine picked up. I tried again but got the machine again and decided it was better to leave a message.

"Damn you Nara Shikamaru! The one time I need you to answer the damn phone..." The message spiraled badly from there but could you blame me? I made sure to mention the important bits.

Scared shitless. Who me? Nah...

We made it to the school playground in record time. I managed not to piss myself as Naruto weaved through the throngs of soccer mom vans and screaming parents at breakneck speed. We'd decided against calling the cops right off the bat. I'd never been shown the future before and couldn't be sure it would happen or -god forbid- already happened.

Naruto scowled and cursed the packed parking lot and ended up double parking behind a white suburban that could probably crush my little car if they decided to leave and not wait for the idiots who'd blocked them in.

I'd just pulled the safety belt off when two hands, one on each shoulder, simultaneously pressed me back down into the seat.

"Stay." Both males said in unison.

"But-"

"No Sakura its to dangerous. Naruto and I know what the Chief of Police's brother looks like and you gave us a good description of the boy, ya."

"No way! I wont be left behind. Finding this kid is-"

"It's important and dangerous Sakura. I've done search and rescue and have handled my share of bad guys. I would feel better if you stayed here." Naruto said, sounding more serious than I'd ever heard him before. Safe. That's what he wanted to say but probably realized I'd fight him more if he'd said it.

I stiffened at the feeling of being a burden but relaxed when I recognized the slight panic in his ocean blue orbs. The last few months must have really rattled him. I never really thought about how badly my being shot had affected him. Naruto was always protective and became twice as bad after the shooting but I never noticed how deeply it impacted him. It warmed my heart and made it hard to argue. If I got out and searched, Naruto might miss the boy because he was concerned that the shooter may be close by. Shikamaru was right. I attracted trouble like ants to sugar water.

"Alright," I agreed reluctantly. "If I spot him I'll call you and the police. Don't take out your guns unless he's in your sights."

Naruto gave me a grateful smile then morphed into that silent predator I so rarely witnessed. Truth be told I found Naruto a lot more frightening than Sasuke. The Uchiha was always brooding and ill tempered but Naruto... someone so spirited and painfully exuberant shouldn't have been able to shut down on command and become cold. It made me wonder, not for the first time, what his job truly entailed and what had been done to make him so dangerous. One day I may find out and I'm not so sure I would be able to handle the truth.

Both men jogged over to the playground that was chalk full of kids and parents picking up said kids. A woman with a clipboard and a badge hanging around her neck stood by one of the benches angled towards the playground. The no nonsense hair bun and god awful burgundy suit told me she was most likely the teacher in charge of watching the children. It had me taking another look at the surroundings. There sure was a lot of ground just for one person to be watching what looked like two dozen kids. It was a relatively nice neighborhood with a great deal of money poured into the landscaping and keeping the roads clean and pothole free. Why shouldn't the school feel safe leaving so many children in the care of just one person?

_Foolish_, I thought. It doesn't matter where you live. You should never underestimate the evil in people.

An old anger rose up and curled inside my chest. I clung to it. Held onto it for dear life as my eyes scanned the faces of any blond-haired boys. Where the hell was Kawahara? Or the boy for that matter. Were we to late? Or had I misunderstood the message I'd been given?

I frowned, noticing for the first time that something else wasn't right. The park looked brand new. I could've sworn the images of the park that Yui showed me were... older?

I looked passed the soccer field and sucked in a breath. Just beside the school building was a smaller and definitely older swing set with a shambled looking jungle-gym and slide. It was angled perfectly for someone sitting on the swings to be watching other children play on the new playground across the soccer field. But it was empty.

My heart beat picked up until I could hear the pulse in my ears. We'd missed them because I sent Naruto and Deidara to the wrong play area?!

Without thinking I opened the car door and stepped out. Balancing against the open door I stood on tiptoe and frantically searched the far side of the soccer field, following around where the bleachers stood near the parking lot.

I bit my lip until I tasted copper. There were just so many damn cars. I took another step away, then another then found I'd walked the length of several parked cars before I spotted movement. A red Ford pickup backed out of a space and drove past me with two kids staring at me and making faces but I paid them no mind as I recognized Kawahara. Unfortunately he saw me to and I made a grave error by glancing at the blond boy at his side. Standing only three cars away he definitely noticed the concern and anger battling across my face. I didn't try to hide what I knew, not when the boy he held with a firm grip on the back of the neck was silently crying.

"Kawahara," I placated softly, whilst reaching for my gun with one hand and the other out in a calming gesture. "Let the boy go."

The surprise left his face and he sneered, raising the gun I hadn't seen in his other hand.

I froze, the Browning was in my hand but I couldn't bring it from behind my back. Not without him shooting me first and I'd already reached my quota on bullet holes.

He waved the gun at me. "Whatever you've got behind your back drop it or I drop the kid."

Damn.

He emphasized by putting the muzzle of his weapon against the boys temple. The boy whimpered quietly, fat tears streaming over red cheeks. I didn't believe for a second he'd shoot the boy. More likely he'd shoot me first but at the same time I couldn't bet the boys life on it. Kawahara was starting to look a little desperate. He'd been caught and he knew it.

Frustrated I did as he said and dropped it. An expression crossed his face and he stared at me with a growing anger darkening his eyes. "Kick it away."

Grinding my teeth I spotted a drain only a few feet away and kicked the gun. It went into the drain. I wasn't stupid enough to give him another weapon and I didn't want a child picking it up and shooting him or herself by accident.

_Great the one time I remember to carry the damn thing and it gets taken away. Smooth Sakura._

Sweat began to trickle down Kawahara's deceptively handsome face. He was starting to panic. Debating on shooting me right here. I couldn't let him shoot me. Not just because I didn't want to die but because he'd still have the boy. Who knew how long it would take before the police caught up with him. Not fast enough I could tell you that.

"Don't shoot me." I had to throw him off balance. "If you fire that gun the two cops I brought along will come running."

"Your lying!" He scanned the parking lot frantically.

"Am I?" I challenged, meeting his wild eyes.

"Fucking bitch. Alright here's whats gonna happen. Your gonna walk ahead of us to the silver Lexus four cars behind me. Make any moves I don't like and I'll shoot you right here and the boy."

Coming undone. That's what was happening. The police were close. Kawahara must be feeling the walls closing in around him. Which will: A) make him desperate enough to kill me and the boy outright and run, or B) he thinks he's untouchable and can still bend the situation in his favor.

I was betting on the latter. By the time we got to the silver Lexus his demeanor changed from panicky to cautious and he was looking at me in a way that raised my hackles. He really thought he was gonna get away with it.

_I'm in deep shit._

He sat next to the boy in the backseat and wrapped the arm holding the gun around the boys shoulders.

"Get in," he said pleasantly, as if he wasn't holding us at gun point and wanted to go for a family drive. Kawahara was to damn calm and I knew without a shadow of a doubt this wasn't gonna end well.

Stiffly I sat in the drivers seat. Kawahara leaned forward, dropping the keys in my lap and whispered, "do as I say and no funny business. You shouldn't have gotten involved.'' He leaned back and watched me and I grimaced at the smile that spread across his face.

"Drive and keep both hands on the wheel."

I did, white knuckling the steering wheel as I drove. I searched for my boys and inwardly cursed as I spotted both of them on the far side of the playground, neither of which were looking in our direction. Slowing, I dragged our departure out of the parking lot as long as possible hoping to make eye contact with someone, anyone. A woman and her two girls looked our way. I tried meeting the woman's eyes but instead she smiled and waved. Waved! We're being held at gun point! I wanted to scream but didn't.

"Quit stalling." Kawahara growled.

With a shutter that I felt wrack my whole body I turned out of the parking lot and followed the directions that were supplied to me.

Twenty minutes into the drive and I was beginning to feel that I was truly on my own. And with every minute that passed Kawahara became more and more collected and even seemed pleased with himself.

"Should've minded your own damn business." He said without an ounce of sympathy. "Your a problem but I think at the same time you may have given me an out."

I glanced at him in the rearview. Puzzled. He ignored me and rubbed his cheek atop the boys head and inhaled, all the while looking at me. Watching me watch him.

"Don't touch him." I growled, hoping if I glared hard enough he'd melt into the puddle of slime he truly was.

"Your in no position to make demands. Seto is mine." He said threateningly, his arm tightening.

_Mine._ He'd said. Like the boy was a possession. Anger churned in my gut. This man disgusted me. I glanced at Seto, he felt my gaze and crystalline blue orbs met mine. Without being able to say anything, I hoped I could convey a message with my eyes. Praying that he understood I would do everything to help him. His eyes filled with fresh tears but whether it was due to his understanding my message or the way Kawahara was murmuring in his ear I didn't know. Maybe a bit of both.

_Even if it means my life Seto. I will save you. _

"How did you know who I was?" Kawahara asked suddenly, puzzlement crossing his features. "Your no cop. I know every cop on the force."

_Would he believe FBI?_ I doubted it. When in doubt tell the truth. It made no difference if he thought I was crazy or not.

"I knew who you were via the television. I found out _what_ you are from a ghost."

He stared, bewildered then burst out laughing. "Right. Fine don't tell me. It doesn't matter how you found out. However,'' he leveled a serious glare on me in the rearview, "who else knows?"

"No one," the lie rolled off my tongue smoothly and I mentally cheered at myself for it sounding true. "No one believes the woman who see's ghosts."

For some reason I didn't want him to know about Shikamaru. If Kawahra's older brother, the Chief of Police, was involved in this I didn't want him to know that Shikamaru knew. I didn't want to put the detective in unnecessary danger. Not when he was the only one who could probably save my butt. By now Naruto and Deidara knew something had happened and the detective would be the first one they turn to. If I hadn't called Shikamaru earlier and left a message they'd find other means of tracking us and I was positive Kawahara would meet an unfortunate accident of some kind. No if they went to Shika that would be best. There was to much riding on this case for them to play the super hero's this time. Or at least I hoped they were smart enough to come to that conclusion.

Unease spilled down my spine like a bucket of ice water. _There you go again Sakura. Waiting for someone to rescue you. Look around. Your on your own. I can't go into this expecting someone to save me. Thinking like that might get us both killed. Think Sakura. Think! What would Naruto or Sasuke do in my position?_

"Turn right up here-"

The cell phone in my pocket began to ring. Rihanna belted out 'Please don't stop the music' which was Deidara's ringtone.

I felt the cold metal of the barrel press against the back of my neck and swallowed. Automatically slowing the car so I didn't lose control.

"Take it out slowly and hand it to me."

I did with only the slightest tremble in my hand.

"Now turn right." He growled.

_All alone_, I thought, horror stricken as he rolled down the window and tossed the phone. I turned the car down an unmarked dirt road. We'd left the city behind about thirty miles back. The road went on and on until we came upon a run down... well shack was the word that came to mind. Though at one time or another it probably was a nice little home. Now it was over grown with shrubbery and weeds, with several hollowed out cars that were rusted and long forgotten. The shack looked like it was leaning dangerously to the left and one good storm would probably turn it to kindling.

"Stop the car."

I did.

"Set the keys in the passenger seat."

I did and felt my stomach drop as I felt him lean forward. Close enough that his breath caressed the shell of my ear. "Good girl."

In my periphery I saw the movement but had no time to react as the butt of the gun slammed into the side of my head. The burst of pain sent me crashing into the driver side window. Seto screamed but it sounded far away as my vision narrowed down to a pin hole then the darkness swallowed me.

* * *

**Authors Note: WOW that was a long one to write. Sorry for the wait but typing on my phone is such a pain. Anyway hope everyone enjoyed it! I can't wait to post the next chapter. **

**P.S. Again sorry for mistakes but this chapter was long! **

**P.S.S. OI sorry for some confusion. Anyone who's already read this chapter don't worry I didn't change it just added a little around Sakura's chat with Shikamaru so there wouldn't be confusion.**


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